Rep. Ro Khanna, Grandson of Activist Jailed with Gandhi Movement, Decries Facebook's Role in India
A consortium of 17 news outlets is examining the Facebook Papers," a trove of internal documents turned over to federal regulators by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen that sheds new light on the social media giant's role in spreading misinformation and polarizing content. The documents reveal most of Facebook's efforts to combat online hate are focused on the United States, even though 90% of users are outside the country. A test account set up by Facebook managers to represent an average young adult user in India quickly became flooded with Hindu nationalist propaganda, anti-Muslim hate speech and incitements to violence. This is deeply concerning," says Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, and notes his grandfather was active in Gandhi's independence movement and spent several years in jail for promoting human rights. Khanna says Facebook needs to take remedial action and acknowledge what's wrong. You need legal remedies."