‘Anti-Indian hate is exploding’: US lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi accuses big tech firms of profiting from online hatred

Indian-origin US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has accused major technology companies of benefiting from anti-Indian, anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian hatred on social media, arguing that the platforms are profiting from the spread of online hate while having little incentive to stop it.In a X post, he wrote: “Anti-Indian hate is exploding on social media, and Big Tech is profiting from it. These companies have no incentive to stop the hatred they help spread. Congress must hold them accountable.”His remarks follow a September report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), which documented a rise in online hostility towards South Asian communities in the United States. Researchers identified approximately 542,360 hateful posts targeting South Asians on X between January 2025 and June 2026. Monthly volumes increased from 12,904 posts in January 2024 to 43,843 in June 2026.In an interview with WTTW, Krishnamoorthi criticised technology companies for failing to adequately moderate content targeting Indian Americans, Hindus and other South Asian communities.“Big Tech is not policing their social media platforms where there's been an explosion of anti-South Asian, anti-Indian, anti-Hindu hate,” he said.Referring to the report's findings, he added: “I'll just give you one statistic: the number of X posts, posts on X or tweets, basically touting anti-South Asian hate has increased by more than 240 per cent over a very short period of time.”Krishnamoorthi argued that the financial incentives behind social media engagement were allowing the problem to persist.“And, unfortunately, Big Tech is profiting off of this hate. They have no incentive right now to decrease it. And so we have to at this point, at the federal level, make sure that they face the full consequences of not taking action,” he said. The issue has taken on added urgency following an alleged attack plot at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Hindu Temple in Aurora, Illinois, on October 11. Krishnamoorthi was worshipping at the temple with his family when the incident occurred.According to prosecutors, a 19-year-old suspect allegedly attempted to shoot a man outside the temple, but his rifle jammed. Authorities later arrested the suspect after learning of alleged plans to return to the site. Investigators also recovered a manifesto containing white supremacist material, according to the congressman's office. The incident prompted Krishnamoorthi to seek a federal hate crime investigation and raise questions about how authorities respond to threats against Indian Americans and other minority communities.On Tuesday, he led 105 lawmakers in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, urging the bureau to investigate the alleged plot as a potential federal hate crime.The lawmakers also sought information on the FBI's efforts to identify and assess online threats targeting Indian Americans, Hindu Americans and other South Asian groups. They asked whether investigators were examining the role online platforms may have played in communicating threats, identifying targets or facilitating the alleged plot.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.