- Meta officials meet IT Ministry following PM Modi video removal.
- Discussions will cover content moderation, compliance, platform governance.
- Ministry expressed disappointment over Meta India’s communication.
- Parliamentary panel criticized removal; Meta cited algorithmic error.
Senior global executives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, are set to meet officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on August 5 and 6 following the temporary removal of a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a government official said on Tuesday.
The ministry called for the discussions after a Facebook reel featuring the Prime Minister’s address on nationwide protests over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) paper leak was taken down from the platform for around five hours on July 28.
The meeting is expected to examine the circumstances behind the incident while addressing a broader set of issues related to platform governance, content moderation and compliance with Indian regulations.
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MeitY to Raise Compliance
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said the discussions would cover multiple issues, including compliance with Indian laws, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), synthetically generated content and safeguards for verified accounts.
“There will be a range of issues…We know that the CSAM issue was raised…what measures have been taken regarding that? Synthetically generated information…to what extent that is being looked at? For prominent personalities, they have verified accounts. When content gets taken down, there have to be safeguards. We would like to understand from them as to why some of these things have not been working the way they are supposed to work and what are their challenges. After all, these are some of the world’s leading technology companies and they should have technology to make this work,” Krishnan said.
The August 5-6 meeting was convened after the ministry expressed disappointment with Meta’s India policy team, believing it had not adequately communicated the government’s concerns to the company’s leadership in the United States, Hindustan Times had reported earlier.
Meta Delegation Yet to Be Named
Krishnan did not disclose the names of the executives travelling to India for the discussions. Meta’s global public policy and global affairs functions are led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and Vice-President and Head of Global Policy Kevin Martin.
An emailed query sent to Meta seeking comment did not receive a response.
The upcoming meeting follows calls by Nishikant Dubey, chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and Communications, for Meta Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg to apologise over the removal of the Prime Minister’s video.
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Safe Harbour Debate After Video Takedown
Dubey said that if Meta failed to issue an apology, the company could lose its safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The provision grants online intermediaries immunity from liability for third-party content hosted on their platforms, provided they comply with due diligence obligations and lawful government directions.
However, safe harbour protection is provided under statute and cannot be withdrawn unilaterally by the government. Whether an intermediary qualifies for that protection is ultimately a legal question to be determined by courts based on compliance with the conditions laid down under Section 79.
During a meeting of the parliamentary committee, a Meta executive apologised for the removal of the Prime Minister’s video, attributing the incident to an algorithmic error, according to people present at the meeting who spoke to Hindustan Times. The executive also assured the panel that Meta would modify its algorithm to prevent similar incidents in the future.
