At loggerheads now, govt once used Facebook, Google for digital push

The Indian government is now worried about Indian users data being used by Facebook to influence elections

The Indian government may have ‘unfriended’ Facebook last week after it warned the social media giant from interfering and influencing next year’s elections. However, not so long ago, it used Mark Zuckerberg’s firm as well as Google for its magnum opus Digital India initiative.

Since the launch of the programme in 2014, these two US technology giants have played an integral role in almost every aspect of the initiative. From educating people about the internet, connecting far-flung areas with a high-speed net, promoting entrepreneurship, building start-up incubators, women empowerment, to even running a voter registration campaign, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism, Facebook