Meta, the parent company of the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, is considered the primary enabler of hate speech on social media in India. However, Meta’s involvement in the politics of ‘hate’ fuels life-threatening misinformation and even genocide. While the former is seen extensively throughout the world, namely in South Asia and Africa, the latter is evident in the technology used by the state of Israel to target Palestinians in Gaza. Hate speech and misinformation are characteristic of Meta’s presence in these regions. Revealing the connection between movements in all these regions also reveals the complicity of capitalist-driven corporations such as Meta in oppressing populations.

Before explaining how Meta enables oppression in various situations, it is crucial to provide the context for each region. Beginning with India, Meta’s platforms have been cesspools of hate largely directed towards vulnerable communities such as women, marginalised castes, religious minorities, queer people, etc. According to an Eko report, Meta has avoided the detection and removal of ads during the current national elections that incite violence and promote disinformation. It is imperative to note that the government has repeatedly intervened in the affairs of social media companies such as X when it platforms criticism against the government. However, hate speech that does incite violence between communities is left unchecked by the Election Commission and the government. ‘This is to no one’s surprise, considering the imperial-esque influence of the central government over ‘independent’ executive agencies, that is not restricted to this issue. Meta ignoring hate speech has in the past led to situations such as the 2020 Delhi anti-muslim pogroms that resulted in the death of approximately 40 Muslims. Despite calls to attention from organisations like The London Story that Meta must be proactive during the general elections, Meta actively platforms hate speech, namely Islamophobia.

Meta ignores disinformation in Africa as well. Meta claims that it has taken steps towards curbing disinformation such as hiring content moderators familiar with languages such as Somali, Amharic, Hausa etc. However, these measures have not prevented the damage caused by disinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, studies showed that a considerable amount of deaths and ailments were due to disinformation from social media. Facebook’s near monopoly over internet traffic in Africa means that it is complicit in this disinformation. It is natural to wonder why Meta would feign ignorance on these issues. The lack of transparency by Meta, along with its corporate interests evidence that these are considered potential PR issues and not lives at stake. Meta, especially Facebook, requires traffic and interaction to earn money. With usership in the ‘Global North’ dwindling, their focus on the ‘Global South’ is necessary for profitability. This ethos of Meta is harmful since it leads them to an intentionally lackadaisical approach in the latter, in search of profit. Another case of this is a video from August 2023, of a prisoner of war detained by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. Under international humanitarian law, Prisoners of War require their identity to be protected. Despite being flagged by users, Meta turned a blind eye towards the video that essentially served as official communication from the Rapid Support Forces. Independent fact checkers such as the Oversight Board have had to intervene and point towards Meta’s ineffective implementation of its policies. 

Whatsapp, also under Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is known to be the most potent transmission of disinformation in India. Concerningly, Whatsapp is used by Israel’s Lavender AI to commit genocidal acts in Palestine. Lavender AI is a system used by Israel to detect ‘suspected military operatives’ in Gaza. According to a report by +972 Magazine, the software was so influential that the Israeli Military treated its outputs as completely reliable. Much of the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza could be attributed to this AI system and its operators. The software’s margin of error was not initially taken into account, additionally, the database it uses to decide on who is a supposed military operative is WhatsApp. The AI system, according to the Middle East Monitor, is built to look for families and such situations. Although WhatsApp denies sharing any data officially, the gross misuse of WhatsApp to commit genocidal violence should lead the company to take action. However, Meta has been known to suppress Palestinian voices on its social media platforms and continues to consider the recent addition to their hate speech policy that is likely to curb and censor criticism of Zionism. It is also crucial to note that Meta has levelled accusations against the Pegasus software used by the Israeli government, of having the ability to bypass Whatsapp’s ‘end-to-end encryption’. Meta is aware of the dangers the Israeli government poses to Palestinian lives and yet fails to take any action. 

The cases mentioned above are only a select few amongst the plethora of instances where Meta is complicit and benefits from genocide, hate, and disinformation. This is especially worrying for countries in Africa and Asia, which are seen as potential ‘markets’ for profit. Organisations such as The London Story have been vocal about Meta’s insidious nature, however, all movements that are decolonial, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-hate must come together against Meta. For a private entity to have this extent of power and data, simultaneously ignoring its responsibilities is preposterous. Meta and the tech industry at large, have been complicit in a multitude of hateful acts. 

To tackle Meta and its insidious actions, India Labour Solidarity is inviting movements and organisations across geographic lines to join our growing campaign against Meta. Please contact us by emailing indialaboursolidarity@gmail.com

• Arman Sawhney - Student, KCL London