During the current times when social media has made the world virtually borderless and has emerged as an undisputed influencer for millions of humans and particularly when there is a growing concern that the established norms of ethics and conscience are being seriously compromised on the platforms therein, the report carried by The Wall Street Journal in its August 14 issue has played the role of a diligent whistleblower. The daily has minced no words in pointing out the purported ‘leniency’ shown by Facebook, the giant among all its peers, which has resulted in continuance of certain posts containing hate speeches of leaders and groups, directly belonging to or somehow associated with the current ruling dispensation at the Centre. The report has claimed that it’s primarily for keeping safe the organisation’s business interests in India, the ‘softness’ has been shown, even though it contradicts its officially declared anti-hate speech policy and rules that have a blanket applicability irrespective of countries and continents. Expectedly, a political can of worms has opened instantly and it's nothing surprising that for quite some time, the slugfest over the issue will continue.

Time and again, misuse of social media in general has become the eye of the storm in India with allegations and counter-allegations levelled by warring political factions. While it’s natural that the most dividend-yielding mass outreach vehicle of the time will be used to the maximum during elections, the fact is, ‘milking’ it unethically for garnering votes and for other anti-societal ventures is also a simultaneous occurrence. Red flags have been raised many times in past including by the sections of national and regional press which still believes in neutrality, but somehow, any credible consensus-based solution has never arrived. But this time, undoubtedly, a new dimension has been added since it has been focussed by a major daily in the west, whose credibility is unquestionable. Congress’ demand for a JPC probe and Delhi Assembly Committee’s decision to summon Facebook’s Director of Public Policy (South and Central Asia) who is now the central character of the controversy speak volumes that the storm will be raging further.

Widening the horizon a bit and thinking beyond this particular case which is nothing more than an example of a symbiotic relationship with political and business interests serving each other, it’s the necessity of safeguarding the intrinsic ethical features forming the hallmarks of Indian democracy, that becomes paramount. Social media has a tremendous influence in a multi-ethnic-linguistic-religious country like India. The question is how should it be used. All stakeholders need to realise that ‘interests’ which have potential to disrupt the cherished ideas of ethics and morality embedded in Indian society since centuries must be discarded like poison.

Whether this ‘whistle’ will stir conscience is a matter of conjecture. But anyway, it was much necessary.