A parliamentary standing committee has warned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to issue an apology within three days over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook reel, escalating the controversy surrounding the platform’s content moderation practices in India.
The warning follows criticism from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology after the Prime Minister’s video message on paper leak reforms and youth issues was briefly taken down before being restored. Meta later attributed the removal to an error.
Parliamentary panel warns Meta over PM Modi reel removal
Committee chairman Nishikant Dubey said Mark Zuckerberg should apologise for the incident, warning that Meta could face consequences regarding its “safe harbour” protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act if concerns are not addressed.
The panel also sought action against the head of Google India over alleged fraud applications that reportedly caused financial losses to investors.
Meta officials to meet Centre
The controversy comes as Meta’s global representatives are visiting India on August 5 and 6 for discussions with the government.
According to IT Secretary S. Krishnan, the government plans to raise multiple concerns with Meta, including:
- The temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s Facebook reel.
- Measures to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitative content (CSAM).
- Handling of prominent user accounts on the platform.
Officials said the government wants to understand the reasons behind such incidents and the challenges Meta faces in content moderation.
Why did the controversy erupt?
The issue began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a Facebook reel addressing the country’s youth following protests over alleged examination paper leaks and the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The video was briefly unavailable on Facebook before Meta restored it, stating that the removal happened due to an error.
The temporary removal triggered criticism from BJP leaders, who demanded an explanation and an apology from the company.
Parliamentary committee raises broader concerns
During a meeting attended by representatives from Meta, Google, YouTube, X, Snapchat, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), lawmakers discussed digital platform accountability.
Nishikant Dubey alleged that the incident raised serious concerns about Meta’s functioning in India and urged stronger accountability from the company.
However, some Opposition members reportedly objected to suggestions linking the issue to Meta’s intermediary protections, arguing that the discussion should focus on technology regulation rather than censorship.
What is Section 79 ‘safe harbour’ protection?
Section 79 of the Information Technology Act provides legal protection to intermediaries such as social media platforms from liability for third-party content, provided they comply with due diligence requirements and government directives.
Any move affecting this protection could have significant implications for how digital platforms operate in India.
Meta has already acknowledged that the Prime Minister’s reel was mistakenly removed and said steps have been taken to prevent similar incidents.
