Facebook India appoints Sunil Abraham as Public Policy Director for Data and Emerging Tech

Facebook India on Monday announced the appointment of Sunil Abraham as the Public Policy Director for Data and Emerging Tech to lead and shape the company's stance on tech policy issues in India.

He will report to Facebook India Public Policy Director Ankhi Das, and will be responsible for building partnerships and engagements with key stakeholders in the public policy area of data privacy, consumer protection, and AI-led innovation for new products and services, a statement said.

As part of the public policy leadership team, Abraham will contribute to important policy development initiatives and proceedings in India and the South Asia region on data protection, privacy, new, and emerging tech, and represent Facebook's position in these multi-stakeholder processes, it added.

Abraham had co-founded Mahiti Infotech — an open technology service provider for the non-profit sector in 1998 —while in 2008, he co-founded the Centre for Internet and Society — a policy and academic research organisation.

He has been an advocate of free/open-source software, and was a part of the Wikimedia movement, starting in 2004 when he co-managed the International Open-Source Network for UNDP.

Most recently, he spent a year as Endowed Professor at ArtEZ University for Arts in The Netherlands.

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Speaking about the appointment, Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director - South and Central Asia, Facebook India, said Abraham's experience in the field of technology policy and his vast research on data reforms are an ideal fit for Facebook.

"We are thrilled to have Sunil in our team as he brings deep industry and civil society knowledge and understanding. With his expertise and experience, he will help us in our mission to build transparency, accountability, and empowered communities," she added.

Earlier in September, Facebook appointed Arun Srinivas as the Director of Global Business Group. Srinivas spearheads Facebook's strategic relationship with India's leading brands, agencies, and partners to drive the company's revenue growth in key channels, and partners the media and creative ecosystems for accelerating the adoption of digital tools by businesses.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)