Facebook plans to hire public policy expert in India

MUMBAI: Amid growing privacy concerns across the world, including India, Facebook, the world's largest social network, plans to hire a public policy expert in India. With nearly 25 million active users in India, Facebook lags behind Google, which counts nearly 60 million users in the country.

As these Internet giants seek to expand their base in India's lucrative Internet market, they face challenges of regulatory hurdles, misinterpreted features and lack of awareness among government departments. Last month, Bangalore asked Google to stop collecting images for its Street View service on security concerns.

"Companies are realising that they have to liaison with the government to ensure that their perspectives are reaching the right ears. Corporates are picking up to influence policy development as it happens and also want to sensitise the government for potential requirements that the sector demands that directly affect companies like Facebook," said Pawan Duggal, a lawyer specialising in IT laws and Internet.