Facebook Public Policy Director for India Ankhi Das resigns

Facebook’s public policy director for India, South and Central Asia, Ankhi Das, has resigned to pursue public service interests, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Sunil Abraham was named public policy director for data and new technologies by the social media giant.

Ajit Mohan, Vice President and General Manager of Facebook in India, said in a statement: “Ankhi has decided to step down from her role on Facebook in order to pursue her interest in public service. Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and has played an important role in growing the company and its services over the past 9 years. She has been part of my leadership team for the past 2 years, a role in which she has made tremendous contributions. We are grateful for her service and wish her all the best for the future. “

The resignation comes weeks after Facebook and Das internally asked questions from employees about how political content is regulated in its largest market, India.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook is struggling with a PR and political crisis in India reported The refused to apply the company’s hate speech to a politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party who was labeled a Muslim traitor in posts.

In the US and around the world, Facebook employees are raising questions about whether the Indian team has been following adequate procedures and practices to regulate content, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters. An open letter that 11 employees wrote to the leadership of Facebook on an internal platform and that was seen by Reuters, calls on the company executives to recognize and denounce the “anti-Muslim bigotry” and to ensure more political consistency.

The letter also requested that Facebook’s “political team in India (and elsewhere) include a diverse representation”. “It’s hard not to feel frustrated and sad about the reported incidents … We know we are not alone in this. Employees across the company have similar feelings,” the letter said. “The Muslim community on Facebook would like to hear our request from the Facebook leadership.”

Facebook has come under fire in recent years for its lax approach to falsifying news content, government-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and violent content distributed through its platforms.

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