Facebook Dragging Its Feet in India; Advocates Call Out “Unacceptable,” “Dangerous” Delays and Tacit Support for Hate; Urge Action from US and EU Officials

23 November — The Real Facebook Oversight Board condemned Facebook’s delays in completing an independent report commissioned to investigate hate speech in India, and expressed deep concern over the company’s indifference to hate and disinformation in the country. We share the concerns of civil society activists who believe Facebook is “trying to kill” the assessment — an unacceptable, dangerous outcome.

“From election integrity to promoting hateful content, Facebook India has a lot to answer for,” said Nayantara Ranganathan, lawyer, digital technology researcher and Real Facebook Oversight Board member. “Suppressing and delaying the publication of this human rights impact assessment, which civil society has engaged with in good faith, calls into question Facebook’s commitment to fixing harms when findings do not align with their brand image and market ambitions in India.”

In mid-2020, Facebook commissioned a U.S. law firm to complete a report on hate speech in India. In spite of clear deadlines and extensive input outlining “hundreds of examples of inflammatory content” on its services in India, the company has continued to narrow the scope of the report and delay its release. This mirrors Facebook’s response to Spanish disinformation, which was largely ignored when highlighted by advocates, then handled as a PR crisis.

India has more than 300 million people on Facebook and 400 users on WhatsApp. The Wall Street Journal has reported on the role of Facebook’s inflammatory content in fomenting deadly religious riots in India, among the most extreme outcomes of Facebook’s tacit support for hate around the world. Frances Haugen’s testimony also made clear the wanton disregard for safety in India, calling out the company’s relationship with the Modi government and pattern of dangerous content in the country.

We call on policymakers to demand the release of Facebook’s report into hate speech in India, and for EU and US regulators to investigate Facebook’s role not only in those regions but as a destabilizing force in global politics. In spite of the Facebook Papers and the revelations of the last two months, Facebook continues to represent an immediate danger to India’s democracy and to the safety of its people.

We stand with activists and researchers fighting disinformation in India, and with our members from across the Global South who are forced to live each day with Facebook’s failure to moderate its content and uphold human rights.

# #

Statements do not reflect the individual positions of all Real Facebook Oversight Board Members. Contact us at media@the-citizens.com.