The Centre has summoned Meta’s global executive team to India on August 5 and 6, amid growing scrutiny over the social media giant’s handling of content on its platforms. The move comes days after a Facebook video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly removed before being restored. The government has sought detailed answers from Meta over the incident, along with concerns surrounding the removal of verified accounts, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), algorithmic transparency and the handling of synthetic and AI-generated content.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made it clear that it is not satisfied with Meta’s explanation that the Prime Minister’s video was taken down because of a “technical error”.
Meta had said on July 28 that the video was removed in error and had since been restored.
The video, posted on July 23, featured Modi addressing students amid protests over the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leak. He assured students that the government would take stronger action against examination paper leaks and said stricter legal provisions would be brought before the Union Cabinet. The Cabinet later approved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which has since been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
The issue also came up before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology on Monday, where members sought answers from Meta over how the Prime Minister’s official post could have been taken down and remained unavailable for several hours.
Committee Chairperson Nishikant Dubey questioned what safeguards were in place to prevent such incidents and said the episode raised wider questions about transparency, accountability and the reliability of systems used by digital platforms.
The committee sought details about the circumstances that led to the removal, the audit trail of the incident, the process through which the video was restored and the measures being taken to prevent a repeat.
Center seeks apology from Mark Zuckerberg
Speaking after the meeting, Dubey said the committee had sought an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the incident. He also warned that safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act could be withdrawn if the apology was not forthcoming.
Safe harbour provides legal protection to online platforms for user-generated content, subject to compliance with applicable legal obligations.
The committee’s concerns, however, extended beyond the Prime Minister’s video.
Center summons Meta over rising concerns surrounding AI content, algorithms and CSAM
Members raised questions about the way social media platforms moderate content, apply their policies and respond to complaints. Questions were also raised about the algorithms used by large platforms to determine the visibility and reach of content.
AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes were another area of concern, with the committee stressing the need for stronger accountability and safeguards against the misuse of manipulated content. The panel also discussed the need for visible labelling of AI-generated material.
Child safety emerged as a major issue during the discussions, particularly over reports concerning advertisements linked to CSAM. The committee sought explanations from platforms about the safeguards they have in place to detect and prevent such material.
Concerns were also raised over the use of social media platforms for cyber fraud and the spread of manipulated content. The committee sought greater clarity on fraud detection and questioned aspects of compliance reporting by digital platforms.
Members also asked whether Meta’s policies dealing with bullying, harassment, threats and coordinated abuse were being applied fairly, while concerns were raised over the removal of several pro-India pages.
The meeting also focused on transparency in content moderation, grievance redress mechanisms and compliance reporting. The committee is learnt to have sought detailed written responses from the platforms on several issues that remained unanswered during the meeting.
Representatives of MeitY and the Ministry of Home Affairs attended the meeting, while executives from Meta, X and YouTube responded to questions from members.
The government has now stepped up its scrutiny of Meta, with the company’s global executive team expected to appear in India on August 5 and 6.
MeitY has stressed that global technology companies operating in India must comply with the country’s laws and maintain robust systems of accountability. The message from the government is clear: explanations for serious lapses will have to be backed by stronger safeguards and compliance with the law.
