Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has apologised for operational errors, the hosting of deepfake content, and the platform’s handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), government sources said on Wednesday. However, Meta has yet to issue an official public statement regarding the development.
The government’s crackdown follows a recent incident where Instagram briefly blocked a selfie video uploaded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official account. In the video, the Prime Minister addressed students regarding national qualifying exam paper leak controversies and protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Meta previously stated it was an error before restoring it.
Parliamentary Panel Issued 3-Day Ultimatum
The development comes shortly after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology issued a strict three-day deadline to Mark Zuckerberg. The committee demanded a public apology for taking down the Prime Minister’s video.
The parliamentary panel warned that failure to comply would result in the revocation of Meta’s “safe harbour” protection under Section 79 of India’s IT Act. Safe harbour immunity shields social media platforms from legal liability for third-party user-generated content. As a result, removing this protection would expose Meta and its top executives to direct civil and criminal liabilities in Indian courts.
The committee noted that taking down a content piece where the Prime Minister addresses students on critical examination reforms was viewed “very seriously.”
IT Ministry Summoned Top Meta Executives
Prior to the panel’s ultimatum, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) summoned Meta’s Global Affairs President Joel Kaplan and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri.
IT Secretary S. Krishnan emphasized that a global platform of Meta’s scale must maintain robust automated systems to prevent such lapses. He stressed that foreign tech firms operating in India must possess a clear understanding of domestic laws. In addition, they must maintain strict compliance frameworks.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
