Wednesday 13th November - Dalit Solidarity Forum, Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council, India Civil Rights Watch (ICWI) and Ekō have released a new report exposing how far-right actors are using advertising to spread disinformation and hate speech on social media platforms like Facebook in the run-up to the election in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
This isn't the first time Meta has been caught platforming extremists and disrupting democratic elections in India. In May 2024 a joint investigation by ICWI, The London Story and Ekō exposed a pro-Modi shadow advertising network spending over a million dollars on Meta ads pushing Islamophobia and hate speech in the run-up to the national elections in India.
This new investigation proves that Meta is a repeat offender when it comes to prioritising profit over Indian electoral law and its own community guidelines. This isn't a policy failure; it's a Big Tech business model where profit takes priority over democracy and community safety.