BENGALURU, March 31 (Reuters) – Facebook Inc said it
was taking steps to combat hate speech and misinformation in
India as the world’s biggest democracy started its months-long
multi-phase elections in four big states.

“We recognize that there are certain types of content, such
as hate speech, that could lead to imminent, offline harm,” the
social networking giant said in a blog post https://about.fb.com/news/2021/03/steps-to-protect-elections-india
dated March 30.

India is Facebook’s biggest market by users. Its WhatsApp
chat service is among the most popular in the country, counting
around 500 million users alone.

Facebook has been under fire globally for alleged lapses in
controlling hate speech. In the United States, the social media
giant put a months-long freeze on political, electoral and
social ads to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the
Nov. 3 presidential elections.

In India, the company’s top lobbyist quit last year after a
Wall Street Journal report suggested the way the social media
network regulated political content in the country favoured
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.

Opposition parties questioned the company’s policy following
the report, but the Menlo Park, California-based company
maintained https://www.reuters.com/article/facebook-india-idUSKBN25T1DY
it “remains committed to be an open and transparent platform.”

Elections in the states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam,
Kerala and union territory Puducherry are a test of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity amid a raging protest by
farmers against new agricultural laws that have sparked outcry
at home and abroad.

“To decrease the risk of problematic content going viral in
these states and potentially inciting violence ahead of or
during the election, we will significantly reduce the
distribution of content that our proactive detection technology
identifies as likely hate speech or violence and incitement,”
Facebook said.

It has also designed Election Day reminders to give voters
accurate information and encourage them to share it with friends
on Facebook and WhatsApp, the company said.
(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru; Editing by
Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

 

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