The Indian government requested Facebook for data 9,853 times in the first half of 2017, up from 6,324 times in the first half of 2016, Facebook's latest 'Government Requests Report' revealed on Tuesday, 20 December.
Facebook restricted access to 1,228 pieces of content "in response to legal requests from law enforcement agencies and the India Computer Emergency Response Team within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology," the company said.
The Indian government and law enforcement agencies also requested for some information on 13,752 user accounts. Facebook produced "some data" in 54 percent of the cases in the January-June 2017 period.
The majority of content restricted was alleged to violate local laws relating to defamation of religion and hate speechFacebook Statement
In the case of 262 Facebook accounts flagged in the "Emergency" category from user/account requests, the company produced "some data" in 36 percent of the cases.
We are aware of disruptions affecting access to Facebook products and services in India that took place during all six months of this reporting period. These disruptions were contained to specific regions.
For the first time, we are expanding the report beyond government requests to provide data regarding reports from rights holders related to intellectual property (IP) –covering copyright, trademark, and counterfeitChris Sonderby, Deputy General Counsel, Facebook.
The report further stated that Facebook was down for 21 times in the first half for the Indian users.
Facebook has been in the news for all sorts of reasons this year, and the social networking giant is clearly looking at ways to mend its organisational culture. One of its former executives also said that Facebook and other platforms are ripping apart the social fabric.
Also Read: Former Exec Believes Facebook is ‘Ripping Apart Social Fabric’
Social media has proven to be a boon as well as malaise, with fake news reaching its tipping point and tech giants as theirs need to keep such measures in check.
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