Facebook India Appoints Rajiv Aggarwal as Director of Public Policy

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Facebook India on Monday, 20 September, appointed ex-IAS officer and former Uber executive Rajiv Aggarwal as the Director of Public Policy to define and lead policy development initiatives for Facebook India.

He succeeds Ankhi Das, who had quit in October last year, following involvement in a controversy for opposing enforcement of hate-speech rules against right-wing leaders in India.

The policy initiatives will cover user safety, data protection and privacy, inclusion and internet governance, a statement said, news agency PTI reported.

Apart from being a part of the India leadership team, Aggarwal will report to Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director of Facebook India, a statement said.

It added that Aggarwal comes to Facebook after being Uber’s Head of Public Policy for India and South Asia.

Aggarwal has worked as an Indian Administrative Officer (IAS), and as a District Magistrate in nine districts across Uttar Pradesh.

The statement added that during his 26 years as an administrative officer, he steered India's first ever-national policy on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (M/o Commerce), and was instrumental in the digital transformation of India's IP offices, PTI reported.

Moreover, he has also been closely associated with the India-US bilateral trade forum, besides being India's lead negotiator on IPRs with other nations.

On Aggarwal’s appointment, the Managing Director Ajit Mohan said, “Facebook is an ally for the exciting economic and social transformation that India is witnessing, with digital playing a central role. We realise we are deeply immersed in the fabric of India and we have the opportunity to help build a more inclusive and safe internet that benefits everyone in the country. I’m thrilled that Rajiv is joining us to lead the Public Policy team. With his expertise and experience, Rajiv will help further our mission to build transparency, accountability, empowered and safe communities, all of which we recognize as our responsibility”, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)