• Home
• /
• Tech
• /
• Social Media

New IT rules in India: Facebook backs government's moves

Mumbai - Facebook and its group companies have ensured that they are safe for users.

India’s new IT rules make sense as they empower users and limit their abuse on social media, said Ajit Mohan, managing director, Facebook India.

Unlike some other international social media outfits including Twitter and WhatsApp, Facebook is backing the Indian government’s move, as asserted by IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, “to empower the users of social media when they become victims of abuse and misuse.”

“The agenda of safety and security online is an important agenda for us, especially in a country where we have 700 million people online,” Mohan told a newspaper in an interview. “I think it makes sense to have a framework for accountability and for having rules around harmful content.”

Facebook and its group companies have ensured that they are safe for users and providing user hygiene and security relating to content, added Mohan.

“In fact, over the last few years we have invested a lot in this area,” he said. “Ensuring the safety of our users and keeping harmful content off our platforms takes up a remarkable amount of resources and investments, billions of dollars every year and a significant investment in headcount, all focused on keeping harmful content off our platform.”

Twitter is embroiled in battles with the Indian government and the police in courts and has failed to meet the new IT rules that came into effect in May.