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Synopsis: Social media platforms in India are being used to spread hate against minorities and to serve petty political ends. Moreover, platforms like Facebook are not taking serious steps to address these issues as clear by the recent revelations.
Introduction
Since 2016, Facebook has been under the scanner for its alleged involvement in encouraging fake news, to the extent of affecting elections, promoting hate speech and emboldening prejudice.
Now, for the first time, leaked internal reports have made it clear that the issues that plague social media in the US are also true for India, the company’s largest market.
What are the concerns w.r.t usage of Facebook in India and its policies towards Indian market?
Bots (AI) and fake accounts tied to political parties and cultural organisations tried to spread fake news, to impact the elections.
Facebook spends 87% of its global budget earmarked for tackling misinformation in North America where only 10% of its users reside. Given the resources it deploys in US and other countries, it is clear that the well-being of some users and geographies matters more than others.
Political parties and their proxies — groups representing narrow community interests — have used the platform to great effect for their own ends.
Facebook did little to curb reported instances of hate speech against minority communities.
What is the way forward?
Social media must be more transparent and proactive in addressing the fundamentals of its algorithms and business models, which can clearly cause social harm.
For impartial and reasonable regulation of the digital sphere, the political class, too, must be willing to sacrifice the quick gains it has reaped on social media.
Instead of focusing on polarization of the general public, political parties should utilize digital media for evidence-based discussions.
Source: This post is based on the article “Facebook deploys hardly any resources in India to tackle misinformation.This must change” published in “Indian Express” on 26th October 2021.
