In the backdrop of appeals by India to remove hate posts, the world’s largest social networking website, Facebook, today said it will remove content, block pages or even disable accounts of those users who upload content that incite violence or perpetuate hate speech.
Comprehending the gravity, Facebook’s stern warning to its users comes in the wake of the Indian government bringing to its notice the posting of content, including inflammatory matters and doctored pictures and videos to create social unrest in the country.
“Facebook will remove content which breaches our terms as set out in our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Content or individuals can be removed from Facebook for a variety of reasons, including issuing direct calls for violence or perpetuating hate speech,” a Facebook spokesperson told PTI.
“We have received requests from Indian authorities and agencies and are working through those requests and responding to the agencies. We encourage people to continue to use our tools to report content they are concerned about so that we can investigate and take quick action,” the spokesperson said when asked about the actions being taken
by the company.
Given the gravity of the situation, which Facebook officials term “an emergency situation”, a large number of Facebook employees are working round the clock in both India and the US to review and monitor the content and take necessary action, which the company says is part of its social responsibilities.