In the backdrop of appeals by India to remove hate posts, the world’s largest social networking website Facebook on Wednesday said it would remove content, block pages or even disable accounts of those users who upload content that incite violence or perpetuate hate speech.
“Facebook will remove content which breaches our terms as set out in our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Content or individuals can be removed from Facebook for a variety of reasons including issuing direct calls for violence or perpetuating hate speech,” a Facebook spokesperson told PTI.
Facebook also acknowledged receiving requests from India to remove specific content.
“We have received requests from Indian authorities and agencies and are working through those requests and responding to the agencies. We encourage people to continue to use our tools to report content they are concerned about so that we can investigate and take action fast,” the spokesperson said.
Given the gravity of the situation, which the social networking site officials term “an emergency situation” a large number of Facebook employees are working round-the-clock in both India and the U.S. to review and monitor the content and take necessary action, which the company says is part of its social responsibilities.
However, Facebook did not say if it had removed or blocked any content based on India’s requests.
Facebook, the official said, is “pretty aligned” with the views of the Indian government on this and have “not run into any issues” with the government.
Facebook has about 50 million users in India.