On Thursday, the Shashi Tharoor-led Parliamentary panel on Information Technology summoned Facebook on Sept 2 to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of the social media platform, the news agency reported.

The development comes in the wake of a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that a FB top executive had opposed applying hate speech rules to certain BJP leaders.

Besides representatives of FB, the committee has also asked representatives of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology to remain present on Sept 2 to discuss “safeguarding citizens’ rights & prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space,” the news agency reported. 

According to a notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, representatives of ministries of communications & home affairs have also been called along with those from Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir & Delhi Govts.

The development comes on a day when BJP MP & a member of the committee, Nishikant Dubey, in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sought removal of Tharoor from the post of its chairman. Dubey had cited the “flawed mode & terrible disdain towards the established parliamentary institutions being exhibited by Tharoor” as the reason for his demand.

Earlier, both Dubey & Tharoor had given notices for breach of privilege against each other over the issue of Tharoor sending a summons to FB representatives.

The WSJ report had alleged that a top Facebook public policy executive in India, citing business reasons, did not apply “hate-speech rules” to at least four individuals & groups linked with BJP who were “flagged internally for promoting or participating in violence”.

Earlier this week, the Congress party also wrote a letter addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to set up a time-bound “high-level inquiry” into its leadership in India & their operations & put in place a new team until completion of the internal probe.

In the letter to Zuckerberg, Congress general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal asked Facebook to publish “all instances of hate speech posts since 2014 that were allowed on the platform”.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also raised the issue on Twitter.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “We cannot allow any manipulation of our hard-earned democracy through bias, fake news & hate speech. As exposed by WSJ, Facebook’s involvement in peddling fake & hate news needs to be questioned by all Indians".

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