All section Close
Image Credits: Wikipedia
Facebook Blocks Hashtag #ResignModi, Restores Later
Writer: Akshita Mehta
Akshita Mehta is currently pursuing triple majors in Journalism, Psychology, and Literature from Christ Deemed to be University, Bangalore. She believes that sharing the stories of ordinary citizens are a tool to change society.
India, 29 April 2021 6:34 AM GMT | Updated 29 April 2021 7:30 AM GMT
Editor : Bharat Nayak |
As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Vijay S Hegde
I am a creative, artistic and ambitious designer, with a talent for thinking outside the box and coming up with innovative ideas and designs. I graduated with a 1st Class honors degree in Video Editing from MAYA ACADEMY OF ADVANCED CINEMATICS
Censorship was feared to be the reason for the blockage of hashtag until Facebook clarified amidst growing calls for resignation of the Prime Minister for the vast spread and deaths due to COVID
On Wednesday, April 28, Facebook temporarily disabled the Resign Modi hashtag, censoring over 12,000 posts critical of the BJP-led government's handling of Covid-19, reported The Guardian. On Twitter, images of crematoriums, lined-up ambulances, critical patients gasping for breath had been trending on social media platforms and were juxtaposed with images of government officials holding rallies. The #resignmodi was blocked, and a note appeared stating that certain posts had been "temporarily hidden here" because their content violated the website's Community Standards, observed by the netizens and Twitterati's.
Facebook continues its censorship in India, this time suspending a hashtag #ResignModi calling for @narendramodi to resign because of his incompetence in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in unimaginable deaths.
— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) April 28, 2021
Facebook is complicit in Modi's fascism. https://t.co/k6br2PeKob
Facebook Clarifies
After Facebook's Andy Stone discussed the problem on Twitter, the hashtag was made available on Facebook around 12.50 P.M PST. Facebook later responded that "We temporarily blocked this hashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and have since restored it."
Here's more on what happened today: We temporarily blocked this hashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and have since restored it.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) April 29, 2021
Censorship Continues Unabated
Over the last month, Twitter had deleted or limited links to COVID-related tweets. In India, the social media giant was forced to permanently suspend over 500 accounts and block access to hundreds earlier this year in order to comply with a government order to prevent the dissemination of misinformation and divisive material linked to farmer protests. According to the firm, it checks all legitimate legal requests received in accordance with the company's guidelines and local laws.
Following that, Congressman Pawan Khera issued a legal notice, calling the censorship a breach of the constitutional right to free expression and urging Twitter not to be forced to remove such posts on government orders.
My legal notice to @rsprasad @OfficeOfRSP & @Twitter for pulling down of my tweet exposing double standards on #KumbhMela & #tablighijamaat
— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) April 25, 2021
श्री रवि शंकर प्रसाद एवं ट्विटर को मेरे कुम्भ मेला व तबलिग़ी जमात पर दोहरे मापदंड पर किए ट्वीट हटाने को चुनौती देते हुए क़ानूनी नोटिस pic.twitter.com/VKLu3wBcr6
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook's former public policy in India, South Asia, and Central Asia had allegedly refused to enforce hate speech policies for politicians from the ruling party at her request, fearing that it would damage the company's business prospects. Ankhi Das, the employee, resigned after the controversy grew.
Also Read: Killing Democracy Tweet By Tweet: How IT Cells Of Political Parties Wage Propaganda War
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
