Facebook&nbsp;Inc said it was taking steps to combat hate speech and misinformation in India as part of its efforts to curb spread of misinformation during elections in four Indian states.

"We recognise that there are certain types of content, such as hate speech, that could lead to imminent, offline harm...To decrease the risk of problematic content going viral in these states and potentially inciting violence ahead of or during the election, we will significantly reduce the distribution of content that our proactive detection technology identifies as likely hate speech or violence and incitement," it added.

Facebook&nbsp;has been under fire globally for alleged lapses in controlling hate speech. In the United States, the social media giant put a months-long freeze on political, electoral and social ads to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the November&nbsp;3 presidential elections.

Facebook has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in the country. India is among the biggest markets for Facebook and its group companies, WhatsApp and Instagram. According to government data, India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 41 crore Facebook users, and 21 crore users of Instagram.

The US-based company said it has invested significantly in proactive detection technology to help identify violating content more quickly.

In its blog, Facebook said based on lessons it has learned from past elections in India and globally, it is taking steps to enhance civic engagement, combat hate speech, limit misinformation and remove voter suppression amid elections across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.

"To decrease the risk of problematic content going viral in these states and potentially inciting violence ahead of or during the election, we will significantly reduce the distribution of content that our proactive detection technology identifies as likely hate speech or violence and incitement,"&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said.

It has also designed Election Day reminders to give voters accurate information and encourage them to share it with friends on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;and WhatsApp, the company said.

In 2019, led by industry body IAMAI, Facebook had set up a high priority channel with the Election Commission of India (ECI) for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to receive content-related escalations.

The company also works with third-party fact-checkers around the world, including eight partners in India, to provide people with additional context about the content they're seeing on Facebook.

In addition to English, these eight partners fact-check in 11 Indian languages including Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam and Assamese.

When a fact-checker rates a story as false, such content is labelled and shown lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution.

This stops its spread and reduces the number of people who see it, Facebook said.&nbsp;

Facebook Inc said it was taking steps to combat hate speech and misinformation in India as part of its efforts to curb spread of misinformation during elections in four Indian states.

Facebook Inc said it was taking steps to combat hate speech and misinformation in India as part of its efforts to curb spread of misinformation during elections in four Indian states. "We recognise that there are certain types of content, such as hate speech, that could lead to imminent, offline harm...To decrease the risk of problematic content going viral in these states and potentially inciting violence ahead of or during the election, we will significantly reduce the distribution of content that our proactive detection technology identifies as likely hate speech or violence and incitement," it added. Facebook has been under fire globally for alleged lapses in controlling hate speech. In the United States, the social media giant put a months-long freeze on political, electoral and social ads to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the November 3 presidential elections. Facebook has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in the country. India is among the biggest markets for Facebook and its group companies, WhatsApp and Instagram. According to government data, India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 41 crore Facebook users, and 21 crore users of Instagram. The US-based company said it has invested significantly in proactive detection technology to help identify violating content more quickly. In its blog, Facebook said based on lessons it has learned from past elections in India and globally, it is taking steps to enhance civic engagement, combat hate speech, limit misinformation and remove voter suppression amid elections across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. "To decrease the risk of problematic content going viral in these states and potentially inciting violence ahead of or during the election, we will significantly reduce the distribution of content that our proactive detection technology identifies as likely hate speech or violence and incitement," Facebook said. It has also designed Election Day reminders to give voters accurate information and encourage them to share it with friends on Facebook and WhatsApp, the company said. In 2019, led by industry body IAMAI, Facebook had set up a high priority channel with the Election Commission of India (ECI) for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to receive content-related escalations. The company also works with third-party fact-checkers around the world, including eight partners in India, to provide people with additional context about the content they're seeing on Facebook. In addition to English, these eight partners fact-check in 11 Indian languages including Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam and Assamese. When a fact-checker rates a story as false, such content is labelled and shown lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution. This stops its spread and reduces the number of people who see it, Facebook said.

Facebook to curb hate speech amid elections in Indian states

Facebook Inc announced on Tuesday that the company's top lobbyist in India Ankhi Das has quit, in the midst of a controversy over how Facebook regulates and manages political content in the country.

Das was Facebook's public policy head for India, South and Central Asia. According to the company statement, Das stepped down to pursue public service.

Controversy erupted in August after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company had failed to apply hate-speech restrictions to some groups and individuals owing to the fear of damage to the company's business potential in the country.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/business-economy/facebook-google-and-microsoft-avoiding-3bn-in-tax-in-poorer-nations-338007" hreflang="en">Facebook, Google and Microsoft avoiding $3bn in tax in poorer nations</a>

The company had faced questions from employees internally a few weeks ago, in terms of how it regulates political content in its biggest market - India.

Reuters reported that Facebook India Head Ajit Mohan had defended the company's policies and Das' role in an internal community post.

The "article does not reflect the person I know or the extraordinarily complex issues we face every day that benefits from Ankhi and the Public Policy team's expertise," Mohan had written, as reported by Reuters.

Das had been central to Facebook's influence in the country since she joined the company in 2011, and was considered one of India's most influential corporate lobbying executives.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/india-news/facebook-india-chief-ajit-mohan-appears-before-parliamentary-panel-324749" hreflang="en">Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan appears before Parliamentary panel</a>

"Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services," Facebook said in a statement which announced Das's departure.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Facebook had failed to flag content coming from the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party and its affiliates that were "flagged internally''.

Das was reported by the WSJ as the one who spearheaded this bias in the company.

Facebook Inc announced on Tuesday that the company's top lobbyist in India Ankhi Das has quit, in the midst of a controversy over how Facebook regulates and manages political content in the country.

Facebook Inc announced on Tuesday that the company's top lobbyist in India Ankhi Das has quit, in the midst of a controversy over how Facebook regulates and manages political content in the country. Das was Facebook's public policy head for India, South and Central Asia. According to the company statement, Das stepped down to pursue public service. Controversy erupted in August after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company had failed to apply hate-speech restrictions to some groups and individuals owing to the fear of damage to the company's business potential in the country. Also read: Facebook, Google and Microsoft avoiding $3bn in tax in poorer nations The company had faced questions from employees internally a few weeks ago, in terms of how it regulates political content in its biggest market - India. Reuters reported that Facebook India Head Ajit Mohan had defended the company's policies and Das' role in an internal community post. The "article does not reflect the person I know or the extraordinarily complex issues we face every day that benefits from Ankhi and the Public Policy team's expertise," Mohan had written, as reported by Reuters. Das had been central to Facebook's influence in the country since she joined the company in 2011, and was considered one of India's most influential corporate lobbying executives. Also read: Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan appears before Parliamentary panel "Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services," Facebook said in a statement which announced Das's departure. According to the Wall Street Journal report, Facebook had failed to flag content coming from the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party and its affiliates that were "flagged internally''. Das was reported by the WSJ as the one who spearheaded this bias in the company.

Facebook India's policy head Ankhi Das quits amid political controversy

Denouncing "hate and bigotry", Facebook India on Friday said the platform is "open, transparent and non-partisan" where people are allowed to "express themselves freely".

The statement from Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan comes amid a massive controversy in the country, post a Wall Street Journal report that claimed that the social media giant's content policies favoured India's ruling party.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/india-parliamentary-panel-to-question-facebook-on-content-controversy-source-322130">India parliamentary panel to question Facebook on content controversy: Source</a>

"Facebook is and always has been an open, transparent and non-partisan platform where people can express themselves freely. Over the last few days, we have been accused of bias in the way we enforce our policies," Facebook India Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan said in a blog post.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-says-its-fielding-questions-by-us-regulators-322034">Facebook says it's fielding questions by US regulators</a>

"We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form."&nbsp;

Mohan also said that Facebook follows an impartial approach in dealing with content and is strongly dictated by Community Standards that outline what is allowed in the platform.&nbsp;

"Our Community Standards define what stays on our platform and are enforced globally... We enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position, party affiliation or religious and cultural belief. We have removed and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards," he wrote.

Mohan also stressed Facebook's commitment to India is unwavering, adding that the platform aims to be an ally for "India" where it can preserve the "pluralistic character of a democracy by offering the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things while also protecting society from broader harm". 
&nbsp;

Denouncing "hate and bigotry", Facebook India on Friday said the platform is "open, transparent and non-partisan" where people are allowed to "express themselves freely".

Denouncing "hate and bigotry", Facebook India on Friday said the platform is "open, transparent and non-partisan" where people are allowed to "express themselves freely". The statement from Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan comes amid a massive controversy in the country, post a Wall Street Journal report that claimed that the social media giant's content policies favoured India's ruling party. Also read | India parliamentary panel to question Facebook on content controversy: Source "Facebook is and always has been an open, transparent and non-partisan platform where people can express themselves freely. Over the last few days, we have been accused of bias in the way we enforce our policies," Facebook India Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan said in a blog post. Also read | Facebook says it's fielding questions by US regulators "We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form." Mohan also said that Facebook follows an impartial approach in dealing with content and is strongly dictated by Community Standards that outline what is allowed in the platform. "Our Community Standards define what stays on our platform and are enforced globally... We enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position, party affiliation or religious and cultural belief. We have removed and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards," he wrote. Mohan also stressed Facebook's commitment to India is unwavering, adding that the platform aims to be an ally for "India" where it can preserve the "pluralistic character of a democracy by offering the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things while also protecting society from broader harm".

Facebook 'transparent, non-partisan', says India head amid political controversy

After the recent Facebook-BJP controversy, top Facebook officials have been receiving death threats for allegedly favouring the leading political party of India.

Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and&nbsp;Central Asia said people have been sending her death threats and have been posting/circulating obscene messages about her. She filed a complaint with the&nbsp;Cyber Cell of Delhi Police on Monday, August 17. She said the threats began after August 14.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-twitter-step-up-fight-against-misinformation-on-us-elections-320188">Also read|&nbsp;Facebook, Twitter step up fight against misinformation on US elections</a>

Delhi Police has started investigating the matter and will be first investigating the 5-6 people Das mentioned in her complaint.

Das has been receiving threats after American daily&nbsp;Wall Street Journal published a report accusing Facebook of letting the ministers of the ruling party of India post hate messages only to maintain good a relationship with the party leaders. Wall Street Journal alleged that Facebook ignored its hate speech policy when it came to the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-denied-our-request-to-waive-off-30-commission-fee-facebook-inc-320716">Also read|&nbsp;Apple denied our request to waive off 30% commission fee: Facebook Inc</a>

The article titled 'Facebook’s Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics' was published on August 14, a day before India celebrated its 74th Independence Day.&nbsp;

Facebook denied the accusations after the article was published.&nbsp;"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to 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," a Facebook spokesperson said.

Rahul Gandhi also shared the Wall Street Journal article on Twitter saying, "BJP &amp; RSS control Facebook &amp; Whatsapp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook."

After the recent Facebook-BJP controversy, top Facebook officials have been receiving death threats for allegedly favouring the leading political party of India.

After the recent Facebook-BJP controversy, top Facebook officials have been receiving death threats for allegedly favouring the leading political party of India. Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia said people have been sending her death threats and have been posting/circulating obscene messages about her. She filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police on Monday, August 17. She said the threats began after August 14. Also read| Facebook, Twitter step up fight against misinformation on US elections Delhi Police has started investigating the matter and will be first investigating the 5-6 people Das mentioned in her complaint. Das has been receiving threats after American daily Wall Street Journal published a report accusing Facebook of letting the ministers of the ruling party of India post hate messages only to maintain good a relationship with the party leaders. Wall Street Journal alleged that Facebook ignored its hate speech policy when it came to the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Also read| Apple denied our request to waive off 30% commission fee: Facebook Inc The article titled 'Facebook’s Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics' was published on August 14, a day before India celebrated its 74th Independence Day. Facebook denied the accusations after the article was published. "We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to 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," a Facebook spokesperson said. Rahul Gandhi also shared the Wall Street Journal article on Twitter saying, "BJP & RSS control Facebook & Whatsapp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook."

Facebook Director receives death threats for 'favouring' BJP

Facebook has introduced new security features for women using the social media platform in India, including the ability to prevent strangers from downloading their profile pictures.

Research by the social media giant found that some Indian women were reluctant to show their faces in their profile pictures, fearing the images could be misused.

&quot;Based on preliminary tests, we&rsquo;ve learned that when someone adds an extra design layer to their profile picture, other people are at least 75 per cent less likely to copy that picture,&quot; said Facebook.

In response, Facebook teamed up with local activists to develop two tools that offer women greater control over their profiles and &quot;help keep them safe online,&quot; wrote product manager Aarati Soman on the company&#39;s blog.

The first safeguard - identified by a small shield and blue border on the image - prevents strangers from downloading, sharing or tagging themselves in someone else&#39;s profile picture, or taking a screen shot of the image.

<center><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffbsafety%2Fvideos%2F1356066257764542%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></center>

 
&quot;People in India will start seeing a step-by-step guide to add an optional profile picture guard,&quot; said Facebook in the blog post.

The second overlays an additional design on the image that research shows dissuades people from making a copy of the image, Soman added.

Facebook plans to offer these tools in other countries based on what it learns in India.

&quot;These tools will be available to both men and women as they continue to roll out more broadly,&quot; a Facebook spokesman told AFP.

Facebook has 184 million active monthly users in India, its second-largest market after the United States.

&nbsp;

Facebook has teamed up with local activists to develop two tools that offer women greater control over their profiles

Facebook has introduced new security features for women using the social media platform in India, including the ability to prevent strangers from downloading their profile pictures. Research by the social media giant found that some Indian women were reluctant to show their faces in their profile pictures, fearing the images could be misused. "Based on preliminary tests, we’ve learned that when someone adds an extra design layer to their profile picture, other people are at least 75 per cent less likely to copy that picture," said Facebook. In response, Facebook teamed up with local activists to develop two tools that offer women greater control over their profiles and "help keep them safe online," wrote product manager Aarati Soman on the company's blog. The first safeguard - identified by a small shield and blue border on the image - prevents strangers from downloading, sharing or tagging themselves in someone else's profile picture, or taking a screen shot of the image. "People in India will start seeing a step-by-step guide to add an optional profile picture guard," said Facebook in the blog post. The second overlays an additional design on the image that research shows dissuades people from making a copy of the image, Soman added. Facebook plans to offer these tools in other countries based on what it learns in India. "These tools will be available to both men and women as they continue to roll out more broadly," a Facebook spokesman told AFP. Facebook has 184 million active monthly users in India, its second-largest market after the United States.

You can now prevent strangers from downloading your Facebook profile pictures

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Facebook to curb hate speech amid elections in Indian states

Facebook India's policy head Ankhi Das quits amid political controversy

Facebook 'transparent, non-partisan', says India head amid political controversy

Facebook Director receives death threats for 'favouring' BJP

You can now prevent strangers from downloading your Facebook profile pictures