Dr. Prabjhot Singh is one of many Sikh community members whose social media posts–specifically those pertaining to the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 and other instances of discrimination and violence sanctioned or perpetrated by the Indian government–have been censored by social media platforms. Over a period from March of 2021 to May of 2022, numerous posts, photos, and videos made and shared by Dr. Singh were removed from Facebook and Instagram either with no indication of how they violate any of parent company Meta’s community guidelines, or with claims that they violated those guidelines when they clearly did not.
IMPACT
Dr. Singh retained the Sikh Coalition for legal aid regarding this matter. In August of 2022, our attorneys sent a letter to Meta outlining the specific censorship that Dr. Singh has experienced, lending context around the history and politics of his posts, and explaining the wider pattern of censorship that commonly affects posts on these issues. In the letter, we encouraged Meta to investigate the situation and also disclose any and all new policies around its content moderation efforts.
WHY IT MATTERS
Social media platforms should be a venue for advocacy on behalf of civil rights for all–not a tool for the powerful to further oppress marginalized groups. The Sikh Coalition will continue to advocate for all social media platforms to conduct themselves in a way that begets transparency, accountability, and the empowerment–rather than the silencing–of our community’s voices.