Decades ago, the famous intellectual Noam Chomsky, in his 1991 book Media Control, explained how the U.S. government uses propaganda to push its agenda. Fast forward to today, and a retired Indian Air Force officer is making a bold claim: social media giants like Facebook and Instagram, owned by META, are doing the same thing by siding with the U.S. government and blocking Russian media outlets.
According to Air Marshal (Retd) M. Matheswaran, META poses a serious risk to countries that don’t follow the Western worldview. He believes that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are pushing only one side of global issues, especially those that align with American interests. And if anyone dares to question this, they may find themselves blocked or banned from these platforms.
Matheswaran argued that this kind of control is dangerous, not just for countries like India, but for the whole world. “An American billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg, has way too much control over what people see and hear globally,” he said. “In the U.S. itself, they choose to promote specific ideas and silence those who disagree—like when someone criticizes Israel’s military actions or questions humanitarian issues in Gaza. Those voices get targeted and shut down.”
This isn’t just about personal beliefs, he explained. These platforms are driven by profit. To make money, they adjust their algorithms to show content that aligns with their business interests. But at the same time, they seem to be influenced by the U.S. government. Matheswaran believes these social media companies are spreading American foreign policy under the disguise of “neutral platforms.”
“These companies don’t care if they’re causing division or creating unrest in countries like India,” Matheswaran continued. “They only care about making a profit. That’s why Zuckerberg could soon become a trillionaire—his only interest is money. He doesn’t care about the consequences.”
His comments came after META suspended Sputnik India’s Instagram account, accusing it of “foreign interference.” Sputnik is a Russian media outlet, and Matheswaran thinks this ban is bad news not only for people in India but also for Americans. He called on the American public to question why their media is being manipulated in such ways.
Matheswaran said he has lost faith in Western media, as they seem to have become tools of propaganda. “There are very few journalists left who have the courage to challenge the American government on critical issues,” he lamented. “The U.S. government is controlling what people are allowed to see and read, influencing how they think. This is a serious problem in today’s world, especially for a democracy.”
This development comes after reports surfaced that the U.S. had pressured the Indian government to ban Russian media like RT and Sputnik. Although India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the matter, reports suggest that New Delhi has rejected Washington’s request to silence Russian media.
Former Indian diplomat Talmiz Ahmad also exposed the U.S.’s double standards when it comes to freedom of speech. “The U.S. wants to control information to push its own narrative, which is why it’s pressuring India to block Russian outlets,” Ahmad said.
It’s worth noting that META has been accused of stirring unrest in India before. Back in 2019 and 2020, Facebook and WhatsApp were blamed for fueling protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). These protests, largely driven by rumors, spread across the country. While protesters claimed the Modi government was planning to strip Muslims of their citizenship, government officials consistently denied this.
“The CAA is about granting citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from neighboring countries. It has nothing to do with taking anyone’s citizenship away,” said Amit Shah, India’s Minister of Home Affairs at the time.
Matheswaran’s concerns highlight a growing issue: how much power do social media companies really have over what we see, hear, and believe? And should we be worried about who’s influencing them? The debate over freedom of speech and media manipulation isn’t new—but in today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever.
