Faisal Farooqui

Faisal Farooqui
Born1976 or 1977
Mumbai, Maharashtra
EducationBachelor of Science
Alma materState University of New York at Binghamton
OccupationsBusinessman
Investor
Founder & CEO of Mouthshut.com
AwardsYoung Leaders by British High Commission

Faisal Farooqui is an Indian technology entrepreneur, investor, and digital rights activist. He is the founder and CEO of MouthShut.com, a consumer review and ratings platform established in 2000.[1][2] Known for building early large-scale systems for user-generated content in India, his work emphasizes data privacy, encryption, and scalable infrastructure. He co-founded Zarca Interactive, the parent company of Sogolytics and K12Insight[3] and was an early investor in the agritech platform DeHaat.[4]

Farooqui was a lead petitioner in the 2015 Supreme Court of India case that resulted in the striking down of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.[5][3] In 2022, he authored In the Shadow of a Legend: Dilip Kumar, a memoir detailing his decades-long relationship with the actor.[6]

Early life and education

Faisal Farooqui was born in Mumbai, India, as the youngest of ten children to Idris Farooqui and Tahera Farooqui.[7] His father, originally a farmer, came from a land-owning family whose ancestors had rebelled against British colonial rule in 1857. He later established bakeries in Mumbai, expanding the traditional joint family business.[8] Farooqui attended St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra and completed his higher secondary education at Jai Hind College, Mumbai.[9] He later moved to the United States, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and Finance from the State University of New York at Binghamton.[8][7]

During his time at university, he was elected to the Faculty Senate Committee and student government, and served as technology editor of the campus newspaper, Pipe Dream.[7] Farooqui developed an interest in computing during his school years. In 1988, he encountered a computerized railway reservation system at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, which encouraged him to explore programming. He began experimenting with BASIC on a Casio SF-3500 digital diary, later gained access to an IBM-compatible PC at school, and worked with database tools such as dBASE IV while developing a system to manage surgical records for a family member. He worked on MS-DOS and Unix environments and learned COBOL and other early programming languages.[7][8][10]

Career

Farooqui began his career as a telecommunications consultant at American Management Systems in the U.S.[9] In 2000, he returned to India to found MouthShut.com with approximately ₹1.2 million in seed capital.[1] To manage costs during the dot-com downturn, the company avoided venture capital and used non-traditional marketing, such as advertising on auto-rickshaws. In 2001, he introduced the Dial-the-CEO feature on the platform that allowed users to connect directly with the company CEO. Similar consumer-engagement models were later adopted by other businesses.[11]

In 2007, Farooqui launched Dekhona.com, a localized video platform. The standalone service was later discontinued due to operational costs, and its underlying technology was integrated into MouthShut to support video-based reviews. In 2011, he beta-launched Dealface.com, an SMS-based coupon service for local businesses,[12] which was subsequently merged into MouthShut.[13]

Auto rickshaw advertising

Farooqui is often credited with pioneering of auto-rickshaw advertising in India.[14][15] Starting in 2001, he negotiated directly with drivers to paint the MouthShut.com URL on vehicle hoods as a low-cost alternative to traditional media.[16][17] The campaign expanded from Mumbai to Bangalore and Delhi in 2006.[18] According to the Hindustan Times, the visibility of these ads contributed to the wider adoption of transit media by larger Indian corporations by 2007.[17]

Other ventures

In 2003, Farooqui co-founded Zarca Interactive with his brothers, Suhail and Hamid. The company provided enterprise feedback and customer-experience solutions. Its products and operations later expanded through subsidieries Sogolytics and K12Insight, where Farooqui serves as a board member.[3]

Farooqui has been active in public policy discussions regarding digital rights and intermediary liability in India.

Section 66A and IT Rules

In 2013, Farooqui and MouthShut.com filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India challenging provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2011.[19] The petition argued that the rules required intermediaries to assess the legality of user-generated content without judicial oversight, which, according to the petitioners, led to excessive content removal.[20] The filing cited multiple takedown requests and legal notices received by the platform, including claims from private entities seeking the removal of negative reviews.[21]

The petition was heard alongside other challenges to Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.[22] In March 2015, the Supreme Court of India struck down Section 66A as unconstitutional, holding that it violated the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).[23] The court also clarified the conditions under which intermediaries are required to remove online content, limiting such obligations to cases involving court orders or government notifications.[1]

Net Neutrality and IST Reform

During the 2015 national debate on net neutrality, Farooqui publicly supported the principle of non-discriminatory data access. He has also been associated with Project MoreSunlight,[24] which advocates advancing Indian Standard Time by 30 minutes to GMT +06:00 to improve energy efficiency.[25][26]

Community initiatives

In 2017, Farooqui co-founded the Save Joggers Park campaign, which opposed the redevelopment of a public green space in Bandra, Mumbai. He has also served as visiting faculty at institutions including the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Jamia Millia Islamia.[27]

Association with Dilip Kumar

Farooqui maintained a long-standing friendship with the actor Dilip Kumar, originating from decades-long association between their families.[28] He managed the actor's official social-media presence, including his Twitter handle launched in 2011, and has served as a spokesperson for the family. Farooqui has described Kumar as a mentor and father figure.[29][28][30][31] In 2022, he published a memoir about the actor titled In the Shadow of a Legend: Dilip Kumar, which focuses on the actor's private life and personal principles.[32]

Controversies

Pune-based Kumar builders sent a legal notice to Faisal and MouthShut.com and demanded Rs.2000 crore damages for fake reviews appearing on MouthShut.com about them.[33][1]

Institute of Management and Technical Studies sent a legal notice to Faisal for fake review post on his website MouthShut about the institute.[34] It alleged that the reviews were intended to bring the institute's reliability down.[35]

IT Act/Section 66A

Faisal was among the lead petitioners who challenged the sections of IT Act section 66 A through a petition in the Supreme Court of India in 2013.[22] In 2015, the court struck down 66A, holding it unconstitutional and diluting many other sections.[21][23][20]

Faisal's firm MouthShut has received 790 takedown notices, 240 legal notices, and 11 court cases against it.[36][37] Hence, Farooqui and Mouthshut.com decided to challenge these notices by petitioning the Supreme Court of India to read down the Intermediary Guidelines Rules 2011.[38][39][40]

In 2014, Beam Fiber, an ISP in Hyderabad and Bangalore blocked access to Mouthshut.com.[41] Farooqui challenged this illegal block and Beam Fiber later unblocked its access with an apology.[42]

Board membership

Philanthropy

Farooqui is a founding trustee of the Tahera & Idris Farooqui Foundation, a family-run charitable organization. The foundation's initiatives focus on education, healthcare, and rural development. During the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the foundation distributed medical supplies and essential goods to underserved communities.[27]

Awards and honors

References

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Bibliography

  • Farooqui, Faisal (2022). Dilip Kumar : In the Shadow of a Legend (A Biography). India: Om Books International. ISBN 978-9392834660.
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