New Delhi: A day after Facebook Executive Ankhi Das resigned from the company, WhatsApp’s public policy director Shivnath Thukral has been chosen to take over the position. Congress party has welcomed the change in Facebook India, while demanding a "thorough revamp" in it's institutional processes to ensure checks on individual's political leanings.
Das resigned weeks after her name came up in a controversy over her alleged bias in dealing with hate speeches posted on Facebook.
In an official statement from Congress MP and General Secretary incharge KC Venugopal, it has been stated, "Congress party welcomes the change in Facebook India’s leadership team. However, the matter will not be resolved by just changing one individual."
He suggested, "Facebook must demonstrate its neutrality through a thorough revamp of its institutional processes and standing operating procedures, so as to ensure full proof checks and balances that cannot be tinkered by an individual's whims and political leanings."
"It must also outline steps taken to curb false, polarising and hate news/content spread rampantly on its platform threatening India’s social harmony," said the Congress leader.
In August, the Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine had published investigative articles, alleging that Facebook and WhatsApp did not apply hate speech rules uniformly while citing the speeches made by various BJP leaders that were being circulated widely on these platforms just ahead of the Delhi violence.
After that Congress had demanded a Joint Parliamentary committee to be set up to hear into the matter and even written two letters to the Chairman of Facebook Inc, Mark Zuckerberg urging him to look into the matter seriously, to which Facebook Inc. reiterated with their neutrality and promising due action.
Read: Ankhi Das, India policy head of Facebook, quits Facebook
