Roshan Shah, an Ahmedabad-based activist has, in a communication with the Director General of Police, Gujarat and the ACP, Cyber Crime Cell asked for registration of a first information report against Facebook for “intercepting messages” and “filtering content.”
The complaint relates to the current controversy afoot over the past three days relating to the World Culture Festival where Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who runs the Art of Living Foundation receiving a Rs. 2.5 cr as a government grant, using Indian army for the construction of a bridge, and chopping off trees.
These arbitrary actions favouring a man close to the powers that be has upset many on social media and users on Facebook who are sharply critical of these actions on the part of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his team. These criticisms included criticisms of the Modi government for this abuse and misuse of taxpayers money. One of the critiques is Roshan Shah.
Roshan Shah says in his letter, “My timeline for last two days was flooded with environmentalist and nationalists' posts who were very critical on Facebook of this World Culture Festival and how Sri Sri was ….. rather than a saint. And, all of a sudden this morning I saw no posts. Even my posts on same subject with Sri Sri and Ravi Shankar keywords did not show up.”
Shah continues, “It seems that Facebook has now another revenue model of 'Content Filtering'; deciding filters on what not to allow to publish or what to promote.” Facebook, while indiscriminately pushing their sponsored content, “has no right to filter my content or my friends or user generated content on timelines,” says Shah. This is a dangerous model and requires immediate investigation and a written response from Facebook, he added.
“Why, (and how) did, all of a sudden, the Art of Living Foundation and negative posts on Sri Sri who gets things free (including a Rs. 2.5 cr grant) get filtered? Even the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a Rs. 5 crore fine on the Art of Living Foundation. Is Facebook trying to help such criminals by filtering negative content which amounts to abetting a crime?"
The letter/communication and complaint has also been addressed to 1) Facebook India Online Services Private Limited; 2) Vikram Ravindra Mamadipudi, Director; 3) David William Kling and 4) Jaspal Singh Athwal
Text of the Letter
Dear Sir(s),
Facebook India Online Services Private Limited has as CIN U72900TG2010FTC068332 with the registered address at Unit Nos. 1203 and 1204, Level 12, Building No.20, Raheja Mindspace, Cyberabad, Madhapur, Hitech City, Hyderabad – 500081, Telangana, INDIA.
It is submitted that 2), 3) and 4) are directors of Facebook India Online Services Private Limited and are responsible for day to day operations of operations of Facebook.com in India.
It is submitted that Facebook is operating as an Online Social Networking site with primarily user generated content. It is further submitted that Facebook users make online friends on Facebook and share content on their own or their friends
Timeline freely which ideally comes up and should come up in one or more ways:
a) other friends timeline;
b) friends of friends timeline and
c) general public timeline and d) followers and general public for public posts.
People who follow their friends on Facebook ought to see the content of the Timeline of their friends whom they follow first on priority over other general content which is not from friends excluding certain sponsored content.
It is submitted that Facebook tried to control social media content via unsuccessful attempt promoting Free Basics where TRAI ruled in favour of Net Neutrality and Facebook thereby got a jolt on its Free Basics agenda, Now, to circumvent that agenda, Facebook has found a new illegal way of content filtering and making money by blocking content on timeline.
See the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAXps-aJmic that I took an hour ago.
For the past three days we have been witness to the World Culture Festival where Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who runs Art of Living Foundation(ALF) getting a Rs. 2.5 cr Central Government grant; the ALF has used Indian army for bridge construction and has chopped off trees and this has ticked off social media users on Facebook who were slamming this consistently for the last two days, critical of this act of Ravi Shankar and his team with every alternate post on Facebook slamming these acts of Sri Sri and also alleging collusion with the government to abuse taxpayers money.
My timeline for the last two days was flooded with environmentalist and nationalists posts who were very critical on Facebook of this World Culture festival and how Sri Sri was more of …. rather than a saint and all of a sudden this morning I saw no posts. Even my posts on same subject with Sri Sri and Ravi Shankar keywords did not show up.
It seems that FACEBOOK has now another revenue model of "CONTENT FILTERING"; deciding filters on what not to allow to publish or what to promote. FACEBOOK while can push their sponsored content, they have no right to filter my content or my friends or user generated content on timelines.
This is a dangerous model and requires immediate investigation and a written response from Facebook. Why, do all of a sudden, the Art of Living Foundation and negative posts on Sri Sri who gets things FREE FREE (including Rs. 2.5 cr grant) get filtered? Even NGT has slapped Rs. 5 cr fine on Art of Living Foundation and Facebook trying to help such criminals by filtering negative content is abetting crime.
Bill Gates last week wrote that it will take time for zero-carbon future so we should start now https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/706143986860347392, while here Art of Living Foundation is doing this World Culture show using Government grants, the Army, chopping off trees and polluting river and unfortunately FACEBOOK is filtering activism against it. This is clear content filtering is violation of Freedom of Speech and FACEBOOK Directors and team should be prosecuted and penalised for this.
This is dangerous as I expect my content to be shown to my friends and content followers and at the same time it should show me the content of people I follow and Facebook has no business whatsoever to filter and control such content. Facebook is for user generated and user owned and controlled content, it cannot direct or tinker with it. The whole concept of Social Media goes for a toss here
Kindly look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAXps-aJmic and respond to me in 7 days on how content filtering if any works in Facebook failing with legal action may be initiated against your company.
My FB URL is : https://www.facebook.com/roshiley
Roshan Shah
Ahmedabad