Meta's Apology and Parliamentary Scrutiny
Meta representatives have conveyed their regret and offered an apology to India's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Electronics & IT following the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Facebook. This development emerged from a recent committee meeting where Meta officials were questioned about the incident.
The tech giant's offer of apology came after a senior BJP Member of Parliament pressed for answers regarding the decision to restrict the Prime Minister's content.
Demands for Accountability
During the parliamentary session, the BJP MP emphasized that the issue extended beyond a mere apology, asserting that the committee sought full accountability. Questions were raised directly to Meta officials, inquiring who authorized the video's removal, who bears ultimate responsibility for the decision, and why the platform acted against the Prime Minister's content while other objectionable posts remained online.
The MP stressed that those responsible should be identified and face appropriate legal action, indicating the government's serious view on content moderation practices affecting high-profile public figures.
The Video Incident and Government Response
The video in question, originally posted on Instagram on July 23 and later shared on Facebook, featured Prime Minister Modi addressing India's youth amid student protests over alleged paper leaks. It marked his first direct selfie video aimed at engaging with young people.
Facebook briefly restricted the post during student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. Meta later attributed the removal to a "glitch" in its automated content filters, apologizing for what it termed an error, and subsequently restored the content.
However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) found Meta's initial explanation insufficient. IT Secretary S. Krishnan stated that while the company admitted its mistake and apologized, the government was not satisfied with the response and was seeking more detailed explanations. Meta has reportedly offered to implement measures to "ringfence" high-profile accounts to prevent similar incidents in the future.