The Union government has issued an advisory to Meta Platforms Inc., asking the technology company to monitor posts that could trigger public disorder, incite violence or fuel other unlawful activity, amid ongoing protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Indian government has asked Meta Platforms Inc. to ensure that its algorithms do not disproportionately amplify 'a single or limited set of narratives' during periods of heightened public-order sensitivity and ongoing public events.
The advisory was issued amid protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Although the advisory did not explicitly mention the protests, it referred to such 'periods' and 'ongoing public events'.
Digital rights organisation Internet Freedom Foundation has raised concerns over these measures, stating they could potentially suppress reporting on the demonstrations and called for the directive to be withdrawn.
Student leader Neha Bora, president of the All India Students’ Association, has moved the Delhi High Court challenging a notice directing them to furnish a Rs 10,000 bond to maintain peace during an inquiry. The case concerns allegations of their involvement in protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi.
Protesters in Manipur placed the bodies of two men outside Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s home in the state capital after they were killed by suspected militants near the border of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts. A group had brought the bodies to Imphal to protest the continuing violence in the state since 2023.
The Opposition has accused the Maharashtra government of allowing 'jungle raj' or lawlessness in the state after unidentified gunmen opened fire on actor Tiger Shroff’s vehicle in Mumbai.
Source:
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