Facebook India Top Executive Steps Down After Hate Speech Controversy

Two months after Facebook India’s public policy executive Ankhi Das was embroiled in a hate speech controversy, it is reported that she has stepped down from the position and quit the company.

“Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services over the last nine years,” said Ajit Mohan, Facebook India’s managing director who added that Ankhi was leaving Facebook “to pursue her interest in public service.

Mohan also stated that Ankhi Das was ‘not responsible for any decisions governing hate speech and that the public policy team was separate from the content policy team that enforces such decisions’.

Earlier this year, a Hindu nationalist MP made anti-Muslim comments on Facebook which were reported to the Facebook India team. According to the Wall Street Journal, Das who headed public policy refused to take down the hate speech due to potential business loss threats. India happens to be one of the largest markets for Facebook and its messaging app WhatsApp.

The matter was taken up by over 40 rights groups who demanded CEO Mark Zuckerberg to terminate Ankhi Das.