Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologized to the Indian government regarding child sexual abuse material, deepfake content, and operational errors on his platforms. NDTV reported this on Wednesday (August 5), citing sources.
Recently, Meta temporarily removed a video of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Facebook. Following this, the Indian government summoned Meta. In response, the company’s global team met with India’s IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Sources indicate that the Meta team was clearly informed that they do not fall under the definition of an ‘intermediary.’ Since social media platforms determine who can view content, they do not qualify for ‘safe harbor’ protection under the IT Act.
Meta officials acknowledged that significant funds had been spent to boost specific content. Indian sources stated that Meta admitted its error regarding the promotion of illegal content. The sources added that Meta officials would be summoned again.
Meanwhile, an earlier NDTV report stated that India had issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta CEO Zuckerberg regarding the removal of the video of Narendra Modi. He was required to either apologize or take action against those responsible within that timeframe.
An Indian parliamentary committee—and the Delhi government—described the incident of removing or taking down Prime Minister Modi’s video as an “attack on democracy.”
