Facebook Officials Depose Before House Panel On Citizens' Rights: Sources

Led by Shashi Tharoor, MP, the House IT panel ventured into issues like safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of social media misuse.

Executives of social networking website Facebook India have begun deposing before the Parliamentary Committee on IT over issues like safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of social or online news media platforms' misuse, according to sources. The panel, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will summon representatives of YouTube and other social media intermediaries, too, in coming weeks. Facebook India was represented at the deposition by Shivnath Thukral, its Director of Public Policy, and Namrata Singh, its Associate General Counsel. Facebook's officials had earlier informed the Committee that the company's COVID-19 protocol disallows them from appearing in person. Mr Tharoor, however, insisted saying the Parliament Secretariat does not allow any virtual meetings. The official agenda circulated among members of the panel for the deposition said, "To hear the views of representatives of Facebook India and Google India on the subject 'Safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space."