Facebook denies conducting physical verification of users

Facebook said it conducts off platform checks only for those who want to run ads related to politics or issues of national importance in India.

A New Delhi-based user claimed being visited by a Facebook representative for the verification process (REUTERS)

Facebook denied conducting any physical checks on users for the content of their posts.

"Facebook does not conduct any form of physical verification in India, except for an advertiser who plans to run ads related to politics or issues of national importance in India," a Facebook spokesperson said.

Facebook, however, added it conducts off platform checks only for those who want to run ads related to politics or issues of national importance in India. As part of efforts to bring more transparency to advertisements on its platform ahead of elections in India, Facebook gives the advertiser the choice of verification by sending a letter to the address provided by the advertiser or scheduling an in-person visit to complete the confirmation.

Earlier an IANS report claimed that Facebook was sending its representatives to users' home to verify if the post with political content was actually posted by them.

"It was like cops come to your door for passport verification. The Facebook representative asked me to prove my credentials by asking for my Aadhaar card and other documents to understand if I am the one who had posted the political content," a user told IANS after Facebook representatives visited his house.

"It was a shocker for me. How come a social media platform do that to a user? What about a user's privacy? I have never heard of any such incident anywhere. Was this at the behest of the government?" asked the user.