India has asked social networking websites such Facebook and search engine giants such as Google to remove all hateful and inciting content on their websites which it said helped spread rumours that caused an exodus of migrants from some cities last week, reports said.
Several people from northeast left for their states last week over rumours that they would be attacked in retaliation for communal violence in Assam between indigenous people and Muslim settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh. The violence in Assam left 80 people dead and over 300,000 displaced.
The government said in a statement it had already blocked access to 245 web pages it said contained doctored videos and images, reports said.
Responding to India’s request, Facebook said it will remove content, block pages or even disable accounts of those users who upload content that incite violence or perpetuate hate speech.
Search-engine giant Google, which provides services such as YouTube and Orkut said: "We understand the gravity of the situation... and continue to work closely with relevant authorities."
Content intended to incite violence is prohibited on all Google products, the company said in a statement.