Delhi HC orders anonymous social network portal to remove posts against Ola

Derogatory statements were made by Hush users against women employees of Ola and some posts contained the company's confidential business plans

Ride-hailing firm Ola has received a favourable judgement from the Delhi High Court, which has ordered the removal of damaging content against it on Hush, a mobile app for professionals to have conversations about their workplaces anonymously.  
 

According to a statement from law firm J Sagar Associates, which represented Ola, the Delhi HC has directed Hush to remove "confidential information and disparaging comments" from its app and web platform. The court has also asked Hush to submit the names of the people who had posted the comments to it in a sealed cover. 

Sources say that certain derogatory statements were made by Hush users against women employees of Ola and some posts even contained the company's confidential future business plans. Upon Hush's refusal to remove them, the ride-hailing firm approached the court.    

Business Standard could not ascertain the exact contents of the posts that Ola had asked Hush to take down.  

According to its LinkedIn profile, Bengaluru-based Hush says it wants to facilitate conversations between professionals in the same company as well as others in the industry. The app is built on the concept of anonymity, allowing users to discuss issues without the "fear of retribution". 

On its website, the social network claims that no one can know the identity of its users, not even its own team. For moderation of comments and posts, Hush follows a community-based approach were other users can flag inappropriate posts.