Parliamentary panel asks Facebook to be more stringent in curbing fake news

Date Published: March 27, 2019 Last Updated: March 27, 2019
Summary

The Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology has asked Facebook to do more to tackle the fake news on its platforms. Facebook executives, including global policy chief Joel Kaplan and India head Ajit Mohan, recently met with the panel, according to a Reuters report. The company was told it was not doing enough to curb misinformation on its platform. The company declined to comment on the hearings of the committee.

Highlights:
  • The Parliamentary Committee asked Facebook to ensure its platforms were not used to incite violence or allow foreign interference in India's elections. Facebook has expanded its local fact-checking network while also introducing stricter rules for political advertisements in India.
  • A member of the panel said that while Facebook had acknowledged that it doesn’t “always get it right” when it comes to moderating content, the panel got the sense that the company was “unwilling to be properly scrutinised and transparent."
  • The committee also asked Faccebook to proactively help security agencies track any misuse, such as coordinated campaigns to influence or mislead voters.