In India, the social media behemoth Facebook has been scrutinised once more. After data provided by whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed suspected disparities in algorithmic suggestions, the Indian government is said to have launched an investigation.
According to an ET report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has written to Ajit Mohan, Facebook India’s managing director (MD), requesting information on the mechanisms used by the American tech giant to censor content on its site.
The government has also inquired about the procedures used to protect online users from damage.
The probe was launched in response to claims that Facebook’s technologies can foster hate speech and spread false information. The ‘India experiment,’ in which a dummy user’s feed was filled with hate speech and fake news barely three weeks after starting a new account on the platform, scared the government, according to the source referenced in the above report.
“The government has requested details on Facebook’s content moderation algorithm and how they are mitigating internet harms caused by this type of content,” according to the source.
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According to reports, the government would look into the matter further depending on the company’s answer. It’s also likely that company executives will be summoned to explain how their algorithm works. “The government has also questioned Facebook about the IT Rules’ due diligence requirements and how they prevent harm,” the person added.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook Inc., is set to give a more detailed picture of the metaverse, an online virtual space where people will work, play, and shop that he regards as critical to the company’s ability to attract younger users, on Thursday.
He indicated earlier this week that the metaverse would be a major focus of the social media giant’s annual developer conference, Facebook Connect, and urged users to attend the free online event. According to internal Facebook records, Haugen, a former data scientist at the firm, the social media giant invests only 13% of its resources to combating disinformation on its platform outside of the US, including in India, where it has the largest user base.
According to government figures, India has over 530 million Facebook users, making it the largest market in terms of people. In contrast, the United States has over 200 million users and receives a disproportionate 87 percent budget commitment to combat misinformation.
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