Top Facebook official receives death threats after allegations of favouring BJP

Amid the growing row over reports that Facebook allowed BJP leaders to use its platform to incite violence by sharing hate speeches and posts, a top Facebook official on Monday (August 17) said she has been receiving threats on Facebook and Twitter.

Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South & Central Asia, Facebook filed a complaint with Cyber Cell of Delhi Police mentioning that she has been receiving death threats and people are also posting obscene messages against her. 

In her complaint, Das said that she has been receiving threats after August 14. Das has named 5-6 people in her complaint and Delhi Police has launched a probe in this matter.

The controversy started on Friday (August 14) after American daily Wall Street Journal published a report accusing Facebook of being biased in its functioning in India as the social media company kept aside its hate speech policy and allowed BJP leaders to post hateful comments and messages on Facebook. The WSJ report added that Facebook did so only to maintain good relations with BJP government in India.

Congress leaders 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 failed to take action against BJP leaders for posting objectional materials and hate speeches. Rahul also accused the ruling BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of controlling Facebook and WhatsApp in India.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Facebook on Sunday (August 16) said that 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," asserted Facebook spokesperson.