Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 16: Sonia Gandhi, the interim president of the Congress, stated on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha that social media is being abused to hack our democracy. She claimed that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are being manipulated in India to shape political narratives.
Thank you for allowing me to take up issue of paramount importance – rising danger of social media being abused to hack our democracy. Global companies like FB & Twitter are used increasingly to shape political narratives by leaders, parties & their proxies: Sonia Gandhi in LS pic.twitter.com/YfnJFMW49D
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2022
“Global companies like Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being used to shape political narratives by leaders, parties and their proxies. This show the connivance of the ruling establishment with these social media platforms to set political narratives, which is not helpful for democracy and the democratic structure,” she said.
Global social media firms, according to Sonia Gandhi, do not provide a level playing field for all political parties. She also said that Facebook is being utilised in a blatant manner to disrupt societal cohesion.
“Young and old minds are being filled with hate through emotionally charged disinfo and proxy advertising companies like FB are aware of it&are profiting from it. Report shows a growing nexus between big corporations, ruling establishment & global social media giants like FB,” she added.
She also urged government to put an end to systematic influence and interference of Facebook and other social media giants in electoral politics of the world’s largest democracy.
