The dispute between Meta and the government appears to be easing after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent an apology over deepfake content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the company’s platforms. According to sources, Zuckerberg apologised for lapses related to CSAM deepfakes and the platform’s operations. Sources also claimed that Meta acknowledged spending significant sums to boost certain types of content.
Government’s Stand
Government sources said Meta was told it cannot be treated merely as an “intermediary” because the company determines which content reaches users. The government maintained that, in such circumstances, the “safe harbour” protection available under the IT Act would not apply to Meta.
According to government sources, Meta admitted shortcomings in its handling of the matter, expressed regret and issued an apology.
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Compliance, Content Concerns
The government also told Meta that it must comply with Indian law in all circumstances and raised concerns over the alleged misuse of social media platforms.
Officials also referred to the earlier removal of a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and flagged concerns over objectionable and abusive content on the platform.
In response, Meta said it has strict internal policies in place and that the deliberate misuse of its platforms is unacceptable.
Meeting With IT Ministry
Earlier on Wednesday, Meta’s global team met senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology after being summoned by the Centre over the removal of the Prime Minister’s post.
The meeting also covered concerns over the erroneous action taken on important posts, lapses in effectively curbing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on social media platforms, and other regulatory issues.
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