Parliamentary panel quizzes Facebook on its revenue, profit, tax payouts in India

A parliamentary panel on Friday quizzed social media big Facebook concerning the quantum of their income, revenue and tax payouts in India and requested what portion of their earnings had been getting used for information safety within the nation, sources mentioned.

Facebook India’s coverage head Ankhi Das appeared earlier than the Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill, 2019 chaired by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi.

She was questioned for 2 hours and requested some powerful and looking questions by the panel members from throughout the political spectrum, sources mentioned.

During the assembly, a member steered that the social media platform mustn’t draw inferences from the information of its customers for business good thing about its advertisers or for electoral functions, they mentioned.

The MPs additionally sought to know the income Facebook generates from India and what number of the income is spent on safeguards for information safety, sources advised PTI.

India is the most important marketplace for Facebook when it comes to its customers.

The panel additionally requested how a lot tax the social media big pays in India, they mentioned.

During the assembly, considerations had been additionally raised concerning the allegations that majority of the workers of the social media big within the United States had been inclined in direction of one particular political occasion of the nation.

Meawhile, Facebook mentioned that the information safety regulation has potential to propel the nation’s digital economic system and world digital commerce.

“We deeply appreciate the opportunity to discuss data regulation issues with the Hon’ble Members of Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill. We believe that India’s data protection law has the potential to propel the country’s digital economy and global digital trade, and we wholeheartedly support this effort,” an organization spokesperson mentioned.

Last month, Facebook India head Ajit Mohan had appeared earlier than the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology headed by Congress chief Shashi Tharoor, on the alleged misuse of social media platforms.

The panel had known as Facebook to listen to a few report revealed within the Wall Street Journal claiming that the social media platform ignored making use of its hate-speech guidelines in India.