The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has summoned Facebook on 2 September to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of social media platforms. The panel’s move comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war of words over claims that the social media platform did not enforce abusive language rules for some politicians of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The panel will also discuss the issue of the internet shut down a day before the meeting.

In addition to Facebook’s representatives, the committee was present on 2 September to discuss with the representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology the topic “including special emphasis on protecting the rights of citizens and preventing misuse of social/online news media platforms” Have asked to stay. Women Safety in the Digital Space ”.

The agenda of the committee’s September 2 meeting stated that “the views of Facebook’s representatives on the protection of the rights of social/online news media platforms and the misuse of social/online news media platforms, including a special emphasis on women’s safety in the digital space” Listen. “

There was no immediate response from the social media firm on the summons.

The notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat came on a day when the senior member of the committee and BJP leader Nishikant Dubey wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding the removal of Shashi Tharoor from the post of chairman of the panel, alleging that the Congress leader used the platform Are doing political agenda.

There is a political deadlock between the two, which began after Tharoor’s announcement that the panel would like to hear from Facebook about the report published in the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the social media platform had imposed hate-cover rules against politicians Ignored the implementation. The ruling party in India.

Tharoor’s remarks drew strong reactions, particularly from BJP members of Dubey’s panel, who alleged that Congress leaders were using the platform to further their own and their party’s political agenda.

The gap between the two boiled over to such an extent that they demanded a breach of privilege against each other.

For the September 1 meeting, representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Home Affairs have also been called from the governments of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi, as per the agenda notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Representatives of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, News Broadcasters Association, Press Council of India, and Prasar Bharati have also been called on 1 September to discuss ‘ethical standards in media standards’.