tl;dr
Meta's upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 31 will feature Proposal 7, titled "Assessing Allegations of Biased Operations in Meta's Largest Market." This proposal addresses allegations against Facebook regarding hate speech dissemination, failure to address risks and political bias, and concerns about content moderation and transparency. The campaign led by Eko, India Civil Watch International (ICWI), and IFF aims to raise awareness about Proposal 7 among shareholders, urge Meta users to support it, and highlight instances of Meta's ineffective issue resolution.
Why Should You Care?
Out of the 13 proposals being put to vote in the upcoming meeting, Proposal 7 is the only one that relates to India. The outcome of Proposal 7 holds great importance for the Indian audience as it addresses the concerning role of Meta in incidents like the 2020 Delhi riots, where hate speech on the platform allegedly fueled violence. Meta's approach to handling such instances has been disappointing, prioritising business interests over removing hate speech. Reports also suggest potential political bias and ineffective content moderation, unable to handle India's diverse languages. These issues highlight the need for greater accountability and transparency in Meta's operations in India.
#VoteForABetterMeta
Meta is set to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 31. Among several proposals to be discussed and voted upon on May 31, Proposal 7 and the outcome of the vote bear significance for the Indian audience.
Proposal 7 titled “Assessing Allegations of Biased Operations in Meta's Largest Market” is to be presented at Meta's AGM on May 31, 2023. It highlights allegations against Facebook for disseminating hate speech, its failure to address risks and political bias, and voices concerns around inadequate content moderation and lack of transparency in platform practices. Unfortunately, Meta’s Board has already recommended that shareholders vote against this proposal.
#7ReasonsForProposal7
This campaign, jointly launched by Ekō, India Civil Watch International (ICWI), and Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), aims to raise awareness about Proposal 7 among users of Meta platforms, the relevant concerns highlighted in the proposal, and urge the shareholders to vote in favour of Proposal 7 by May 31. As part of a campaign to encourage shareholders to vote in favour of the proposal, jointly launched by Ekō, India Civil Watch International (ICWI), and Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), we aim to highlight instances where Meta has failed to address critical issues effectively.
To prevent the misuse of platforms for divisive agendas, civil society organisations including IFF will use social media channels, from May 26 till the day of the meeting, to highlight instances where Meta has failed to address critical issues effectively. Watch this space for regular updates, until the day of the meeting, on IFF’s social media posts highlighting the aforementioned instances.
- Link to the Press Release on the campaign on Proposal 7.
- Link (1, 2) to the introductory campaign video.
- Links (1, 2) to IFF's post on the 1st reason out of the 7.
- Links (1, 2) to IFF's post on the 2nd reason out of the 7.