A fresh political debate has erupted as AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal accused Meta of restricting the reach of his Instagram account.
The former Delhi Chief Minister claimed that the social media giant had limited the visibility of his content and appealed to the company to “bow down” to the Prime Minister.
Kejriwal claimed in a post on social media that his Instagram account is being blocked for no reason. Kejriwal said he feels that the reduced visibility of his posts has hurt the way he has been able to communicate directly with supporters and the public through one of the country's most popular social media platforms.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said Meta's actions were wrong and technology companies should be independent in dealing with political content. He told the company to treat everyone equally regardless of their political beliefs.
A few hours later Kejriwal’s comments were widely shared online and heated debates on social media platforms over their content moderation and account visibility emerged between supporters and critics.
The issue also reignited the debate on the role of the big tech companies in democratic processes and political communication.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has not publicly responded to Kejriwal’s allegations. The company generally states that it oversees its Community Standards and recommendation guidelines and the company has automated systems and human review to detect policy violations on every user base.
Political leaders in the world often accused social media platforms of limiting their reach or displaying bias. Similar accusations have also been voiced in other countries, and even more so the need for the transparency of platform algorithms and moderation practices.
As experts point out, a decline in engagement on social media does not always indicate deliberate restrictions. Platform algorithms, user interaction patterns, content quality and policy enforcement can all affect the visibility of posts.
But without Meta's official admission, Kejriwal's claims are hard to explain.
At a time when digital platforms are being more and more under the microscope from governments, political parties and civil society groups on misinformation, election integrity and online freedom of expression, the issue is so big that social media companies are struggling to balance open political debate with the need for a platform to be held in line.
Kejriwal’s statement has once again placed Meta at the heart of a larger discussion about transparency and accountability in digital platforms. So we don’t know if or when the company will comment on its moderation system and how it has been modified.
But as of now, the allegation has created a lot of discussion on social media, with users saying it’s important to open up about how content is promoted, restricted or recommended.
The episode also highlights the increasing influence of digital platforms on the politics and public opinion of India.
