Parliamentary Panel Deposes Facebook Officials
Ankhi Das and Bhairab Bhattacharya Facebook Inc. officials on Friday failed to give satisfactory response to the question raised by Parliamentary Committee on Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. The committee raises queries on some sensitive issues like data storage of the people of India outside the country, safeguard its misuse and leakage,payment of corporate and other taxes, ideological and other biases while blocking the user and the process of evaluating advertisement on the website.
The sitting with the Parliamentary Committee and Facebook officials lasted for almost two hours. The members of the committee posted multiple questions across but in return received non-satisfactory replies from the company officials.
The MPs present there seek to know the process of data flowing in India. Facebook representatives who were undertaken to give suggestions on the Personal data Protection Bill,2019 proposed that the flow of data should be allowed as it is useful for start-ups, trade and commerce between nations and would also be beneficiary for many other economic purposes. The parliamentary members seek to know about the archived data and the safety of the same and any leakage of such data could lead to some serious issues.
The members of the committee asked the Facebook officials whether or not it has planned to change its policy within the wake of its recent tie-up with Jio,which clings to the Indian privacy and knowledge safety and legal guidelines. The information needs to be categorized as private,delicate industrial etc; according to the lawmakers.
The Parliamentary panel were also on a lookout to know about the way advertisements are being put up on Facebook and how they are vetted in response to a supply. Facebook officials informed the committee that the vetting was carried out by its US-based workers, their answers for the vetting did not convince the panel at all.
The members of the opposition fumed at the Facebook officials as they came in unprepared, presuming that the MP’s have lesser ideas in relation to social media and also the methods by which it could be misused.
The Facebook representatives enlightened the committee that there are more than 450 million FB users in India, 400 million WhatsApp users, 100 million Instagram users. The Joint committee also attempted to know the company tax Facebook pays in India
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