The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, heard the views of the representatives of Facebook and Google on safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social online news media platforms, including special emphasis on women security in the digital space.

This was the second meeting of the panel with both internet giants on the same agenda.

The panel had asked both Facebook and Google to submit written answers to some of the questions members raised in the first meeting on January 21. The panel had met Twitter also recently on the subject. “We wanted some more clarification on the written statements by both the Facebook and Google. In today’s meeting, we got those clarifications. We will examine them before finalising our report,” said a panel member.

The issue of compliance with rules and regulations came in Tuesday’s meeting, too. The members reminded the two companies that they cannot shy away from implementing IT rules. The panel members had also told Twitter to follow the laws of the land.

Interim report

Facebook said it will publish an interim report on the details of user complaints on July 2.

“In accordance with the IT rules, we’ll publish an interim report for the period May 15 to June 15 on July 2. This report will contain details of the content that we have removed proactively using our automated tools.

“The final report will be published on July 15, containing the details of user complaints received and action taken. The report on July 15 will also contain data related to WhatsApp, which is currently being validated,” said a Facebook spokesperson.

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