India Once Again Tops The World for the Most requests of Data Censorship How has India crossed Middle East and dictatorships to be the country that censors the most on Facebook?!

By Rustam Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

Surprisingly, India has surpassed all Middle Eastern nations, including the most conservative Islamic Nations to request for the most amount of content from being removed/blocked on Facebook. This gets even more disturbing knowing that India makes it to the top three contenders for maximum content removal for the third consecutive year in a row. The idea of Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan or even Russia not requesting as much as the democratic secular nation of India, where freedom of expression is guaranteed by law, is sickening to say the least.

While Facebook restricted a total of 37,695 requests in France, 32,100 of these were "instances of a single image related to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris". It's safe to understand that these images specifically encouraged hatred between ethnic and religious groups during the extremely heated environment after the terrorist attacks in Paris and thus were worthy of removal. However, images and content removed in India reflects an extremely narrow religious censorship that allegedly, as India claims was "anti-religious" or "hate speech" that could cause disharmony within India.

Facebook reported almost 15,000 requests from India during the second half of 2015. This was in response to requests by government agencies, including law enforcement agencies apart from NGOs and random Facebook users that highlighted illegal content on Facebook. Disturbingly, India requests the most requests for user's personal data in case of a violation of law.

Facebook claims only it produced data requests for only 50% of India's claims, whuich included robberies or kidnapping, or crucial criminal offences. In many of these cases, the government was requesting basic subscriber information, such as name and length of service.

Facebook ahs time and again emphasized it's commitment to stick with protecting user's data and rights and will even go to the extent of fighting in the court to defend it's right to refuse help to the government. Facebook has claimed it scrutizes each and every request for its legal sufficiency, no matter which country is making the request. India is the second largest user of Facebook after America and has a total of more than 1.6 billion monthly users.

What do you think of the move by India to request for so frequent information? Does potentially dissenting content need to be taken down immediately and be treated as a necessary price to pay for societal security or is it a breach of your rights to privacy and freedom of expression? Let us know in the comments on our official Facebook page Entrepreneur India

Rustam Singh

Sub-Editor- Entrepreneur.com

Tech reporter.

Contact me if you have a truly unique technology related startup looking for a review and coverage, especially a crowd-funded project looking to launch and coverage.

Living

The 3 Lifestyle Habits That Made Me Sharper, Stronger and More Successful

These three simple yet powerful lifestyle changes transformed my productivity, energy and mindset. Here's how you can do the same.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Marketing

5 Ways ChatGPT Will Impact Digital Marketing

ChatGPT is creating ripples across the digital landscape right now. Here are five ways it can benefit your ads, campaigns and marketing strategies.

Science & Technology

How Can Marketers Use ChatGPT? Here Are the Top 11 Uses.

With the recent developments in AI and the popularity of ChatGPT, you may want to integrate AI into your marketing practices. Find out how.

Science & Technology

The Deepfake Threat is Real. Here Are 3 Ways to Protect Your Business

The rising use of deepfakes is a growing threat to businesses and society as technology advances. Here are three tips for companies to combat this threat.

News and Trends

Kolkata-Based Lab-Grown Diamond Brand Jewelbox Secures USD 3.2 Mn

The startup will primarily use the funds to expand its retail footprint, growing from eight stores to 30 locations by the end of this year.