Amidst allegations of suppressing conservative voices, Facebook appoints UPA linked Ajit Mohan as India head of operations

Facebook has appointed Ajit Mohan as managing director and vice-president of Facebook India. He will report directly to Facebook headquarter at Menlo Park, California, till now Facebook India head used to report Asia Pacific head. Ajit Mohan is currently chief executive officer (CEO) of Star India’s online video streaming platform Hotstar. According to Ajit Mohan’s LinkedIn profile he has previously worked as executive vice president of Star TV Network, columnist at Wall Street Journal and consultant at Mckinsey and Company.  “India is one of the largest and most strategically important countries for Facebook. As we think about what it will take to achieve our mission of bringing people together and building community, we know that investment in India is critical. Ajit’s depth of experience will help us to continue to have a positive impact in India across communities, organizations, businesses and with policymakers,” said David Fischer, vice-president of business and marketing partnerships at Facebook.

The appointment of Ajit Mohan raises some important questions on the political alignment of Facebook. Kochi born Mohan worked for the government when UPA was in power. He has worked in Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as well as Planning Commission during UPA era. According to Ajit Mohan, working in public sector “can be good for your work and your perspective on the world and the economy. It’s sometimes good to be in the context where you are not maximizing profits.” This suggests that as except for maximizing profits, he has certain political perspective which he wishes to work for and his work under UPA era clearly suggests where his political alignments are. He completed MBA in finance from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and is close friend of Kanishka Singh, another Wharton graduate and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi. Kanishka Singh was also a team member of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit‘s electoral campaign.

Facebook is facing criticism for fake news and sharing personal data with political consultancies. In United States, a big controversy erupted when it was found that Facebook is sharing user’s personal data with Cambridge Analytica, a private political consultancy firm. Appointment of a person with strong political alignment just months before 2019 general elections raises question over integrity of the conduct of Facebook. “I am delighted to take on the mantle of shaping Facebook’s charter in India. It is a unique opportunity to shape the agenda of a company that has brought the world closer together in one of the most exciting markets in the world. I look forward to championing India in Facebook and working with stakeholders across the spectrum to help build deep and meaningful communities across the country” said Ajit Mohan in a statement.

Facebook is said to be shadow banning conservative voices from its platform. The banning of conservative voices is not limited to Facebook, it is widespread across many social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook owned Instagram. In fact, Twitter CEO himself admitted of liberal bias among his workers. Most of these companies are based in California, a state with very strong liberal leaning and therefore most of the workers in these technology companies are of liberal political orientation. The political orientation of these employees is also visible in the type of content which is promoted on these platforms and the one which is banned.