'Democracy can’t rest on a bed of lies': ex-staffer calls for more accountability from Facebook

Former Facebook employee Sophie Zhang in an interview to Hindustan Times has said that the only way to ensure transparency on part of the company was to put pressure on it to ensure fair treatment for people across the spectrum.

Zhang said that democracy can not rest on a bed of lies. “The only way to ensure that Facebook treats everyone well, and fairly, is to put pressure on the country. Citizens of India need to make their voice heard if they feel content is been censored in a biased manner, in favour of a particular political party,” she said.

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Zhang had revealed in April that Facebook had planned to take down a series of fake accounts ahead of the Delhi elections, but stopped when it realized that a BJP politician was behind one of the networks. “While two Congress, one Aadmi Party and one Bharatiya Janata Party-linked IT cell-style networks were actioned, one was spared despite being repeatedly flagged,” she said.

“Political interference as such has always been a part of the company decision making,” she said. “Refusal to take action against the BJP is part of the pattern, its what the company does, we can’t blame individuals for it.”