Amid a growing row over reports that Facebook allowed ruling Bhatatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to use its platform to incite violence by sharing hate speeches and posts, Facebook India's Public Policy Director Ankhi Das on Monday said she that she was receiving threats on Facebook and Twitter.
Das, who is also the director of public policy for South and Central Asia, filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police mentioning that she is getting death threats and that some people are posting obscene messages against her.
In her complaint, Das mentioned: “Since the morning of 14 August, I have been receiving violent threats to my life and body, and I am extremely disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to me by the accused persons."
“The content which even includes my photographs is evidently threatening to my life and body and I fear for my safety as well that of my family members. The content also maligns my reputation based on a news article and I am subjected to name calling, cyber bulling and eve teasing online,” she has stated.
Das has named 5-6 people in her complaint and Delhi Police have launched a probe into the matter.
फ़ेसबुक में काम करने वाली महिला ने साकेत गोखले समेत दूसरे लोगों के ख़िलाफ़ दिल्ली सायबर सेल में शिकायत दर्ज करवायी है।अँखी दास ने आरोप लगाया है कि कुछ लोग ट्वीटर और फ़ेसबुक पर भद्दे कमेंट कर उन्हे जान से मारने की धमकी दे रहे है और साकेत गोखले ने भी ट्वीटर पर फोटो डाली है। pic.twitter.com/BjWKF0QHZ6
— Jitender Sharma (@capt_ivane) August 17, 2020
The controversy started after the Wall Street Journal posted the reports in which it mentioned that Facebook allowed the hate speech in order to maintain good relations with the BJP-led government.
India's main opposition party Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also shared the article titled "Facebook Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics - Company executive opposed move to ban controversial politician" that highlighted how Facebook and WhatsApp allegedly failed to take action against BJP leaders for posting objectionable material and hate speeches.
Gandhi also accused the BJP and its mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of controlling Facebook and WhatsApp in India.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Facebook on Sunday said the company prohibits content that can incite violence and enforces policies globally regardless of political position of anybody.
"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally regardless of 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," Facebook said in a statement.
