New Delhi: Top Facebook India official Ankhi Das is leaving the social media giant, in a significant move that comes months after it was alleged that she interfered in the company’s content moderation policy to avoid ruining its relationship with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Das, who has been with the company for nearly a decade and served as the public policy director for Facebook India, South and Central Asia, has been under a cloud ever since several media reports indicated that the company’s hate speech rules may have not been applied fairly within the country.
In statements at the time, Facebook had denied these allegations, but admitted that Das had raised concerns about the political fallout that would result from designating T. Raja Singh, a BJP MLA in Telangana with a reputation for making communal comments, as a dangerous individual.
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It is unclear if her resignation is in any way connected to the hate speech controversy.
In a statement, Ajit Mohan, head of Facebook India, said Das was leaving Facebook to pursue her “interest in public service”.
“Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services over the last nine years. She has been a part of my leadership team over the last two years, a role in which she has made enormous contributions. We are grateful for her service and wish her the very best for the future,” Mohan said.