New Delhi: Amid a political slugfest over the Facebook issue, the company's India head Ajit Mohan on Wednesday appeared before a parliamentary panel, which is discussing alleged misuse of social media platforms.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, had called representatives of Facebook to hear their views "on the subject of safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space," according to agenda of the meeting.
Mohan, Managing Director of Facebook India, appeared before the panel this afternoon, officials said.
He was inside the room for more than two hours and while details of his deposition and other deliberations could not be ascertained immediately, Tharoor tweeted after the meeting that the panel decided to resume the discussion, including with representatives of Facebook.
"In response to overwhelming media interest in the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology that just adjourned, this is all I can say: We met for some three and a half hours and unanimously agreed to resume the discussion later, incl with reps of Facebook," he tweeted.
While the Congress MP from Kerala did not disclose any further details, sources said one suggestion was made to schedule the next meeting for resuming the deposition of Facebook on September 10, but a consensus could not be reached with some members objecting to it on the ground that the committee is to be reconstituted.
The panel had also called representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the same issue, while a few others including some digital media activists also deposed before the panel.
An official said 18 members of the panel including the chairman were present.