New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged "systematic interference" of Facebook and other social media giants in India's electoral politics.
Making a Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi referred to a report published in Al Jazeera and The Reporters' Collective claiming that Facebook had offered BJP cheaper deals for election advertisements as compared to other political parties.
"I urge the government to put an end to the systematic interference and influence of Facebook and other social media giants in the electoral politics of the world's largest democracy. This is beyond partisan politics," she said.
"We need to protect democracy and social harmony regardless of who is in power," Gandhi added.
I urge Govt to put an end to systematic influence and interference of FB & other social media giants in electoral politics of the world's largest democracy. This is beyond parties & politics. We need to protect our democracy & social harmony regardless of who's in power: S Gandhi pic.twitter.com/xY4mERlTm6
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2022
Continuing her speech, the Congress interim president said, "Young and old minds are being filled with hate through emotionally charged disinformation and proxy advertising companies like FB are aware of it & are profiting from it. A report shows a growing nexus between big corporations, ruling establishment & global social media giants like FB.''
The Congress president added, "It has repeatedly come to public notice that global social media companies aren't providing a level playing field to all parties....The blatant manner in which social harmony is being disturbed by FB with the connivance of the ruling establishment is dangerous for our democracy.
She also thanked the Lok Sabha chair for allowing her to raise the issue, which she said was of ''paramount importance.''
"Thank you for allowing me to take up an issue of paramount importance - the rising danger of social media being abused to hack our democracy. Global companies like FB & Twitter are used increasingly to shape political narratives by leaders, parties & their proxies,'' Sonia Gandhi said in Lok Sabha.
