Facebook temporarily blocks hashtag #ResignModi, issues clarification later

Blocked by Facebook with hashtag #ResigneModi, FB's explanation after users' anger

The surge in the COVID-19 cases continues to affect India as the country records 3,79,257 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest single-day spike in the cases since the pandemic began last year.

Corona pandemic is a major crisis in the country and the government is trying its best in this fight. However, people are getting angry seeing the situation going out of hand and the system falling short to provide healthcare facility. Therefore, questions are being asked to the government on social media.

Also, the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are being criticized. The hashtag #ResignModi was running on Twitter and Facebook. However, on April 28, Facebook temporarily blocked the hashtag.

More than 12,000 posts stopped appearing on social media after Facebook blocked the hashtag. This post criticizes the government's failure during the Corona pandemic. Subsequently, some users reported the incident of this hashtag block of Facebook on Twitter. At the time, users were seeing a message that the content with the hashtag #ResignModi was against Facebook's community standards.  Meanwhile, an explanation has been given by Facebook in this regard.

“We temporarily blocked this hashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and have since restored it,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.

Meanwhile, many have expressed displeasure over the manner in which it happened. Is that how it works in a democracy? This question has been asked by Twitter user Shivam Shankar Singh.

FB has supported BJP outright a lot of times. @billyperrigo, @newley and several other journalists have reported on it. Don’t think there’s ever been an act so outrightly partisan though!

That too censoring people asking for accountability when thousands are dying everyday!

— Shivam Shankar Singh (@ShivamShankarS) April 28, 2021

What’s likely happened is that the India team headed by BJP stooges did it, but the US team overturned it - because they have to answer to congressional committees and a population that believes in democratic rights.

No worries, subtler forms of manipulation shall continue.

— Shivam Shankar Singh (@ShivamShankarS) April 28, 2021

I just used a VPN to check and this is still active. Outside of India, most posts using this hashtag are about the censorship

— Olivia Solon (@oliviasolon) April 28, 2021