Delhi assembly panel grills Facebook over CEO’s role in Facebook India’s public policy

New Delhi: Chairman of Delhi Assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony Raghav Chadha on Wednesday questioned the Chief Executive Officer’s role in Facebook India’s public policy after its Director Shivnath Thukral and Director (Legal) GV Anand Bhushan appeared before the committee.

“How Facebook has been used to further communal tensions during #DelhiRiots? Chairman of Peace & Harmony Committee @raghav_chadha questions Mark Zuckerberg’s role in Facebook India’s public policy,” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tweeted.

The Facebook official replied, “We are structured in a manner where we have enough checks and balances to coordinate across the world.”

How Facebook has been used to further communal tensions during #DelhiRiots?

Chairman of Peace & Harmony Committee @raghav_chadha questions Mark Zuckerberg's role in Facebook India's public policy: pic.twitter.com/lh876UEnOx

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 18, 2021

Further, Chadha who is also AAP National Spokesperson asked, “How many registered users of Facebook are there across the world and in India?”

“Over a billion registered users are there, out of which around 400 million users are from India,” the official replied.

In response to this, Chadha said, “That means around 40 per cent market of Facebook belongs to India, then the CEO must closely look at one market that gives him 40 per cent of the total outcome.”

Facebook GRILLED by Delhi Assembly on time taken by them to take down inflammatory posts ??

– @raghav_chadha , @JoonBhupinder pic.twitter.com/brgRCqW8rh

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 18, 2021

During the hearing, the AAP National Spokesperson also asked: “What actions does Facebook take on ‘misinformation campaign,’ organised hate speech and its role in inciting riots? Is that content removed or not?”

The Committee Chairman further said that it will again call the Facebook officials for the hearing and will make a decision on it.

In February 2020, violence took place in the northeast area of Delhi between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. Following this, the Peace and Harmony Committee (Committee) was constituted by the Delhi Legislative Assembly to probe the Delhi riots of February 2020.

.@raghav_chadha: What is Facebook's definition of HATE SPEECH in the Indian context?

Listen to the vague reply by Meta official ?? pic.twitter.com/0rkfp2OPqc

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 18, 2021

The Supreme Court on July 9 this year held the Delhi Assembly’s Peace and Harmony committee’s right to question Facebook India officials as valid.

On October 29 this year, Delhi Legislative Assembly’s committee on ‘Peace and Harmony’ decided to call on Facebook India to send an appropriate senior representative over the “role of social media in curbing the spread of false and malicious messages which can fan disharmony and affect peace”.

What action was taken by Facebook to curb FAKE news & HATE speech during #DelhiRiots?

Watch how META official stonewalls every question by Peace & Harmony Committee Chairman @raghav_chadha & Member @JoonBhupinder: pic.twitter.com/nT0RHMiB92

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 18, 2021

The committee is chaired by AAP leader Raghav Chadha.