A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to apologise over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video, warning that the company could face legal consequences if it fails to comply.
The committee, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, described the removal of the Prime Minister’s July 23 video as an “attack on democracy” and said action must be taken against those responsible.
“If Facebook does not take action against those responsible in this matter, the Safe Harbour Clause will be removed. Mark Zuckerberg will have to apologise. Otherwise, a case may be filed,” the committee said.
It also warned that if safe harbour protection is withdrawn, social media platform officials could face direct criminal proceedings after government approval.
Meta Says Video Was Removed Due to Technical Error
The controversy began after Prime Minister Modi’s selfie video, first posted on Instagram and later on Facebook, was briefly removed from Facebook for nearly five hours before being restored.
The video contained a message to students and young people, promising strict action against paper leaks amid nationwide protests.
Meta later restored the post and apologised, saying the content had been removed because of a technical or algorithmic error.
However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reportedly rejected the explanation, saying Meta should strengthen its systems if the removal was indeed caused by a technical glitch.
Panel Demands Personal Apology From Zuckerberg
Addressing reporters after the committee meeting, Nishikant Dubey said Meta’s actions raised serious concerns.
“Meta India removed the Prime Minister’s content. This is not the first time Meta has done this. Mark Zuckerberg should personally apologise for the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video,” Dubey said.
He also referred to Zuckerberg’s remarks about India’s 2024 general elections earlier this year, for which Meta later issued a public apology.
Safe Harbour Protection Under Scrutiny
The committee warned that Meta’s safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act could be withdrawn if the company fails to respond appropriately.
Safe harbour protection shields social media platforms from legal liability for user-generated content, provided they comply with Indian laws and due diligence requirements. Losing this protection could expose Meta to direct legal action over content hosted on its platforms.
Panel Also Raises Concerns Over Child Sexual Abuse Content
During the meeting, the parliamentary panel also questioned Meta over the presence of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), AI-generated explicit content and deepfake videos on its platforms.
The committee warned Meta and other social media companies, including Google, YouTube, X, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat, to strictly comply with Indian laws on harmful online content or face legal action.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1,099 of the 1,238 cybercrime cases involving children registered in 2024 were related to the publication or transmission of sexually explicit material involving minors. The committee said social media platforms must strengthen their systems to prevent such content from being circulated.
