"Social media has weakened India's democracy. Social movements could be the answer," 16 December 2021

... Recent revelations by a Facebook whistleblower about the company’s decision to prioritize profit over human rights point to the platform monetizing hate at the cost of user safety. This confirms concerns raised by activists in India over the past few years. In India, research shows that Facebook has been a vital platform for the spread of hate speech, misinformation, and calls for violence against Muslims and other minorities.

That Facebook was aware of anti-Muslim content on its platform comes as no surprise; a Wall Street Journal investigation in 2020 showed that Facebook had knowingly allowed hateful content from members of the ruling party in India to stay on its platform... Facebook’s response has remained superficial and unsatisfactory... Facebook’s refusal to meaningfully engage with the Delhi Assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony in the wake of riots is one such example. Following a court order, Facebook was left with no choice but to appear before the committee...

Part of the reason that social media platforms are not committing to sustained reforms goes to their business models, which are centered around monetization of users...

In India’s rich history of civic movements, the responsibility and power to hold the government and the private sector accountable for upholding democracy or protecting our institutions has always been vested in the people…