Facebook's hate speech policies no different for politicians

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
PM Modi with Mark Zuckerberg (Photo: Facebook)
PM Modi with Mark Zuckerberg (Photo: Facebook)

New Delhi : A media report recently alleged that Facebook ignored a hate speech post by a BJP leader. Replying to the same, the company said, "Without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation, the hate speech policies are enforced."

"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation. While we know there is more to do, we're making progress on enforcement and conduct regular audits of our process to ensure fairness and accuracy," a Facebook spokesperson said.

In the article titled "Facebook Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics -- Company executive opposed move to ban controversial politician", the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook looks the other way in cases of hate speech and objectionable content from BJP leaders and workers.

The issue came to light when Congress highlighted the article to attack BJP and alleged social media manipulation.

Seizing on the report, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the BJP and RSS of spreading "fake news" using Facebook and WhatsApp to influence the electorate.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back, reminding the Congress about the Cambridge Analytica issue.