Facebook India on Friday said that it is a non-partisan platform and it will continue to remove content posted by public figures if they violate the standards put in place by the company. The statement comes amid allegations that the Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant ignored hate speech posts by leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal had revealed how Facebook’s content policies favoured the ruling party in India raising a hue and cry among concerned citizens and the Opposition. The ruling BJP and the Congress traded barbs over the incident.

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Facebook India vice-president and managing director Ajit Mohan, in a blog post, stated, “Facebook is and always has been an open, transparent and non-partisan platform where people can express themselves freely. Over the last few days, we have been accused of bias in the way we enforce our policies. We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form.” 

Mohan also reassured that the social media platform had an impartial approach of dealing with content and said it is strongly governed by its Community Standards.

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He added, “We enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone’s political position, party affiliation or religious and cultural belief. We have removed and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards.”