'CJP got 30 million views, BJP only 10 mn': Parl panel chief alleges Meta promoting 'anti-democracy' content

On the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video being removed from Facebook, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has accused social media platforms of promoting anti-establishment and anti-democracy content over national parties. Dubey, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology, expressed concerns over the use of VPNs, which are strictly regulated in India.

Dubey pointed out that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) gained 30 million views in a week, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received only 10 million views. Over the same period, anti-reservation content garnered 8 million views, Congress received 15 million views, the Samajwadi Party earned 2 million views, and the Aam Aadmi Party garnered 1 million views.

"Why are you promoting others in this manner?" Dubey questioned. He also highlighted the company's reluctance to disclose the number of users accessing their platforms through virtual private networks (VPNs).

Dubey's remarks come a day after Meta briefly took down Modi's video from Facebook. He called for a public apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, stating that an apology would not suffice as the takedown was a serious matter. Dubey urged Zuckerberg to apologize, adding that his comments reflect the unanimous view of the parliamentary committee that the takedown was a serious issue.

The parliamentary panel recommended withdrawing the "safe harbour" protection provided to social media platforms under the Information Technology Act, 2000, if they fail to remove child sexual abuse material, content targeting women, and promote anti-national forces while not giving due prominence to government content.