Posts on separate Kashmir state, deities among Facebook’s list of ‘locally illegal’ content

Srinagar: Among 20 ‘locally illegal’ markers that Facebook has for content from India include posts on ‘Azad Kashmir’, those defaming deities and depictions of the Indian Tricolour, said a media report on Monday.

Facebook’s content reviewers around the world routinely scan posts that are either reported by users or chosen by the company’s algorithmic system, according to internal documents obtained by The Indian Express.

These reviewers decide whether to leave a post on the platform, take it down because it does not follow Facebook’s own global policy, or label and escalate it to the next level of “content policy teams”

For India, these “locally illegal” markers are used to flag posts for further review, without the knowledge of users or any input from local law enforcement agencies, reported Indian Express.

In the section “Operational Guidelines”, the document gives moderators examples of content to flag – maps of Kashmir and Aksai Chain, posts comparing deities divisively or depicting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and images replacing the wheel on the Tricolour with Gandhi.

Under the ‘national border’ section, posts that are “supportive” of a separate Kashmir state, of Pakistan’s claim to Kashmir and Saichen, of China’s claim to Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, or Tripura, are to be flagged, said the report.

Moderators are to look out for terms such as: “Azad Kashmir, Free Kashmir, Kashmir belongs to Pakistan… Look for maps invading territories, people protesting, etc”.

It goes on to say that images of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) might violate Section 295 of the IPC, which prohibits outraging religious feelings by insulting religious beliefs.