Meta Meets IT Ministry As Centre Raises PM Modi Facebook Post Removal

The Centre on Wednesday questioned Meta over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook video and raised concerns about the company's handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) during a high level meeting with senior executives of the social media giant.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), lasted around 45 minutes and was attended by Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and his team. MeitY Secretary S Krishnan represented the government during the discussion.

Meta officials explained the removal of PM Modi's video, describing it as an "erroneous takedown" and not a deliberate moderation decision. The company said the video was restored after the issue was identified and clarified that the removal happened due to a technical mistake.

The video, which featured PM Modi's message to students and Gen Z on examination issues, including paper leaks and government action against those involved, was unavailable on Facebook for nearly five to six hours. The incident led to strong concerns from the parliamentary standing committee on information technology, which later asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologise within three days.

During the MeitY meeting, officials also questioned Meta's compliance with Indian laws and sought clarity on how the company ensures that its platforms follow government requirements. S Krishnan said platforms need a clear understanding of India's laws and must explain how they plan to ensure compliance.

Government officials also raised concerns beyond the technical error, including the role of recommendation algorithms, possible algorithmic bias and the impact of online content on public order and national security.

The meeting also focused on child sexual abuse material (CSAM), synthetic content and safeguards for removing content from verified accounts. Meta has faced scrutiny after concerns were raised over CSAM appearing in paid advertisements on Instagram. The government had earlier sought an explanation from the company over the issue.

Meta told officials that it follows a zero tolerance policy against child exploitation content and uses artificial intelligence tools, human review teams and user reports to detect and remove such material. The company said it takes action against violating accounts and works with law enforcement agencies on such cases.