Earlier Ravi Shankar Prasad, IT and Law Minister had asked Zuckerberg and other social media companies to abstain from acting in a fashion that manipulates the information of the users to sway the electoral process of India.
The government has today sent in a notice to Facebook asking it to furnish details by 7 April concerning the possible breach of data and manipulation of the electoral process of the nation done by the social media corporate or its associates.
This notice comes in the wake of numerous questions asked by the IT Ministry to Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, its London-based vendor and its associate over similar allegations, that included the misuse of the Indian users’ data to “manipulate” elections.
The government, specifying the areas where details have been asked for, said, “It is felt that there is need for further information about the data breach from Facebook. Accordingly, a letter has been issued by the IT Ministry to Facebook”.
The Ministry has asked the trailblazing social media platform if the personal data of the Indian users and voters had been misused by Cambridge Analytica or any other kind of “downstream entity” in any way and if this is the case, how was it misused?
Another question that the platform has been asked is “whether Facebook or its related or downstream agencies utilising Facebook’s data have previously been engaged by any entities to manipulate the Indian electoral process?”
Moreover, the government has also asked it about the steps it takes to keep the data of the users protected, saying, “What are the specific steps proposed to be taken by Facebook to prevent any misuse of personal data for potential interference in, or manipulation of the Indian electoral process?”
Aside of this, the ministry has asked if there were any “proactive measures” that were taken by the social media giant to ensure the privacy, safety and security of such massive amount of user data and to avert its misapplication by any other third party.
Earlier Ravi Shankar Prasad, IT and Law Minister had asked Zuckerberg and other social media companies to abstain from acting in a fashion that manipulates the information of the user to sway the electoral process of India.
Prasad, warning the founder of Facebook last week, said, “Mr Mark Zuckerberg, you better note the observation of the IT Minister of India. We welcome the FB profile in India, but if any data theft of Indians is done through the collusion of FB system, it shall not be tolerated. We have got stringent power in the IT Act, we shall use it, including summoning you in India”.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
