What's derogatory on Facebook?

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Today, the Delhi High Court will hear the petition filed by Google and Facebook, challenging the summons issued to them by a lower court.

With the government giving its nod to prosecute websites like Facebook, Google and Yahoo, it is imperative to know what is deemed derogatory by the government and the legal fraternity.

That isn't easy to know, but in our own capacity, we try to find the content that maybe construed as derogatory.

Last week, the Delhi High Court had threatened Facebook and Google that all websites would be blocked, just like in China, if they failed to comply with the government norms.

The communities and groups like– “I hate Hinduism or Islam” are liberal in venting their opinions, which threaten to spark off religious fury, deplore sects and denounce creeds.

The communities like 'I hate India' exist, so are the groups which assert hatred towards Pakistan and China.

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Last week, the Centre told a Delhi court that there is sufficient material to proceed against 21 social networking sites, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, for offences of promoting enmity between classes and causing prejudice to national integration.

"The sanctioning authority has personally gone through the entire records and materials produced before him and after considering and examining the same, he is satisfied that there is sufficient material to proceed against the accused persons under section 153-A, 153-B and 295-A of the IPC," the Centre had said in its report placed before Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar.

Facebook, after criticism, is okay with removing the hate content related to race, ethnicity or religious group or where there is a credible threat of violence.

But conversely, the groups that pronounce hatred towards the Malayalam and Bihari speaking communities, go unchecked. Plethora of groups disparaging political stalwarts like Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati prevail.

India is the fourth largest Internet user in the world. With more than 900 million Facebook active accounts, it could be enough to smudge the national image.

An average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events, says Facebook. India has close to 25 million Facebook users while more than 1.5 million pictures are being uploaded on it in any given day.

Facebook policy states: “We always focused on giving people control over their experience so they can express themselves freely while knowing that their information is being shared in the way they intend.”

One of the Facebook users, Kanwaldeep Singh–a BPO employee feels differently. “It’s a ploy by the vested interests to facilitate controversies and conflicts within the society,” he says.

Alarmed by such a threat, China puts stringent policy in place, he believes. Internet policing, Singh says is highly needed in India too.