BJP, RSS control FB, WhatsApp, says Cong; 'losers', retorts Union min

Accusing the BJP and the RSS of controlling Facebook and WhatsApp in India the Congress on Sunday alleged that the two had attacked democracy in the country and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into alleged violations by the social media platform and its messaging serviceCongress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted BJP and RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in India They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorateFinally the American media has come out with the truth about FacebookHe tagged a Wall Street Journal report on the issueBJP amp RSS control Facebook amp Whatsapp in IndiaThey spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorateFinally the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook pictwittercomY29uCQjSRPmdash Rahul Gandhi RahulGandhi August 16 2020Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted Facebook WhatsApp sinister connection to BJP government exposed Is Facebook being used to spread Fake News and Hate Material What is the connect of FacebookIndia leaders to BJPDoes it not warrant a JPC probeAddressing a virtual press conference Congress spokesperson and former Union Minister Ajay Maken said There are 40 crore Indians on WhatsApp and over 28 crore on Facebook So a probe is necessary into the commercial dealings propagation of hate content and connection of Facebook and WhatsApp employees with the BJPThe bias and alignment of the Facebook Indias leadership team with the BJP and RSS is not limited to just their Head of Public Policy in India There are many others in that leadership team with a close working relationship with the BJPThe Congress said that the government too should clarify the quid pro quo with WhatsApp and Facebook and what type of business dealings they had with the governmentCongress Data Department Chairman Praveen Chakravorty said I met the WhatsApp CEO and raised the issue in the past after the Congress Working Committee took it up and the CEO heard me politely but did not actThe Congress said it had raised the issue with the Facebook team in India We met the team of Ankhi Das on May 15 and complained about the manipulative content the team heard us but did nothing claimed Rohan Gupta Congress Social Media head Das is the Public Policy Director FacebookIndia South and Central AsiaWhat gave Facebook the guts and the gumption to intrude interfere and intervene in the worlds largest democratic exercise First and foremost we must remember that this is not just about Facebook Facebook also owns WhatsApp Facebook and WhatsApp control information news and communication for millions of Indians And the BJP controls Facebook and WhatsApp in India said ChakravortyAsked if the Congress lost past elections due to this manipulation the Congress leaders said that it is not only elections but its effect on the nation as a whole The party asserted that it was like attacking the countrys soul by propagating onesided content which is mostly of hatredYesterday was a unique day We celebrated our Independence Day and freedom from the British But later in the day a reputed American newspaper told us how we Indians are not truly free yet How hundreds of millions of Indians are controlled divided and manipulated through fake news and hate speech propagated by the ruling party through the US social media giant Facebook the Congress addedThe party leaders quoted sentences from the Wall Street Journal story to stress their pointsThe United States Congress has summoned Facebook CEO Marc Zuckerberg and investigated its role in election manipulation in the past The UK too has issued warnings to Facebook Facebook was accused of similar interference in BrazilIndias rich electoral democracy cannot be sacrificed at the altar of Facebook and WhatsApp the Congress assertedMeanwhile Union law minister and a senior face of the ruling BJP Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at Rahul Gandhi as he tweeted Losers who cannot influence people even in their own party keep cribbing that the entire world is controlled by BJP amp RSS He also dug up the controversial issue of Cambridge Analytica to make his pointYou were caught redhanded in alliance with Cambridge Analytica amp Facebook to weaponise data before the elections amp now have the gall to question us asked the minister The FacebookCambridge Analytica was a data leak in early 2018 whereby millions of Facebook users personal data was harvested without consent by the firm primarily for political advertisingThe fact is that today access to information and freedom of expression has been democratized It is no longer controlled by retainers of your family and that is why it hurtsBtw havenrsquot yet heard your condemnation of the Bangalore riots Where did your courage disappearmdash Ravi Shankar Prasad rsprasad August 16 2020Though the Congress had tried to distance itself a Congress poster in then Cambridge Analytica CEOs London office came out in the public domain leaving the opposition party baffledPrasad did not stop at just seemingly calling the Congress leader a loser or raking up a past controversy that the Congress got entangled in He further said The fact is that today access to information and freedom of expression has been democratised It is no longer controlled by retainers of your family and that is why it hurtsUpping the ante Prasad sought a condemnation from Gandhi on the recent Bangalore riots asking whether his courage to do the same has disappearedKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom 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