The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that massive social media platforms like Facebook, which has over one-third of the world’s active users, cannot avoid responsibility by ‘simplistically’ claiming they have no control over the third-party information they display. ‘Our country’s sheer population makes it an important destination for Facebook. We may be more diverse in local culture, food, clothing, language, religion and traditions than the rest of Europe, but we have a history of what is now known as ‘unity in diversity.’ This cannot be disrupted at any cost or under any pretended freedom by a behemoth like Facebook claiming ignorance or a lack of any pivotal role,’ wrote a 188-page judgement led by Justice S.K. Kaul.
The court was considering a petition filed by Facebook India CEO Ajit Mohan, who was challenging the summons issued by the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Peace and Harmony Committee, which was investigating the communal riots that erupted in February of last year.
According to the court, Facebook is ‘first and foremost a business,’ ‘Facebook only appears before committees that serve its commercial and operational interests,’ the court added.
The court further said, social media companies such as Facebook must remain accountable to those who entrust them with such vast powers. The social media intermediaries’ power and potential extend beyond national borders. They are multinational corporations with vast financial and political power. Their influence is felt across entire populations.
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