Meta has apologised for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook post and for several content moderation failures, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and deepfake content, according to government sources after senior company executives met Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and IT Secretary S. Krishnan on Wednesday.
While Meta’s Global Affairs Chief Joel Kaplan said in a written statement that he apologised to the minister on behalf of the company for restricting the Prime Minister’s post, government sources claimed the apology came directly from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Meta has not publicly confirmed that Zuckerberg personally apologised.
PM Modi’s Facebook Post Triggered the Row
The meeting followed controversy over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Modi’s July 23 Facebook video, in which he addressed students and promised strict action against examination paper leaks.
The video was first uploaded on Instagram before being shared on Facebook, where it was briefly restricted. Meta later restored the post, saying it had been removed due to an error by its AI-powered content moderation system.
Kaplan said, “I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post.”
However, the government has maintained that Meta’s explanation was inadequate and sought a detailed account of how the incident occurred.
Government Sources Claim Meta Admitted Content Moderation Failures
According to government sources, Meta executives acknowledged failures involving child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and other moderation issues during the meetings.
The sources also claimed that Meta admitted “a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content,” referring to paid promotion linked to illegal child sexual abuse content. Meta has not confirmed these claims or issued any public response on the allegation.
The government also questioned the company over deepfakes, algorithmic bias, safeguards for verified accounts and compliance with Indian laws.
Centre Questions Meta’s Safe Harbour Protection
Government sources said officials told Meta that the company should not be treated as a neutral intermediary under the Information Technology Act because its algorithms actively recommend and promote content rather than merely hosting it.
Based on this argument, the Centre claimed Meta may not be entitled to safe harbour protections that shield intermediaries from liability for user-generated content if they comply with the law.
The sources said this issue was raised as part of the government’s broader effort to increase accountability for large technology platforms.
Parliamentary Panel Also Seeks Apology
The controversy has also reached Parliament. Earlier on Wednesday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology asked Zuckerberg to issue an unconditional apology within three days over the removal of the Prime Minister’s Facebook post.
The committee warned that failure to do so could lead to recommendations for action regarding Meta’s legal protections under the Information Technology Act.
Legal experts, however, have pointed out that safe harbour protection cannot simply be withdrawn by the government and that questions regarding intermediary protection are generally decided by courts on a case-by-case basis.
Meta Likely to Face More Meetings
Government sources said Meta would be called again for further discussions as authorities continue to examine issues related to content moderation, child safety, deepfakes and compliance with Indian law.
Meta has not issued any additional statement beyond Kaplan’s apology for the removal of the Prime Minister’s Facebook post.
