A Parliamentary Standing Committee has asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to issue an unconditional apology within three days over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook post
Key Highlights
- Parliamentary panel gives Zuckerberg three-day deadline.
- Committee seeks unconditional apology over PM Modi’s post removal.
- Warns of possible withdrawal of Section 79(3) safe harbour protection.
- Panel also raises concerns over CSAM content on social media.
- Government asked to act against fraudulent apps hosted on platforms.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has directed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to issue an unconditional apology within three days over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook post, escalating the government’s scrutiny of digital platforms operating in India.
In a letter sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the committee stated that the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s video addressing students and young citizens on examination reforms and paper leak issues was viewed as a serious matter.
The committee warned that if Zuckerberg fails to issue an unconditional apology within the stipulated period, the government should consider withdrawing the legal protection available to intermediary platforms under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act and take appropriate action.
Apart from the issue involving the Prime Minister’s post, the panel also expressed concern over the presence of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and objectionable content targeting women on social media platforms. It recommended strict action against intermediary platforms that fail to remove such illegal content in accordance with Indian law.
The committee further urged the government to examine action against Google India in connection with fraudulent investment applications that allegedly caused financial losses to users.
The developments follow a recent meeting between the parliamentary panel and representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Electronics & IT, along with executives from Meta, Google, YouTube, X and Snapchat. During the discussions, the committee questioned platform accountability, algorithmic transparency and compliance with Indian regulations.
Meta had earlier attributed the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s Facebook post to a technical error and restored the content after identifying the issue. However, government authorities described the explanation as inadequate and sought stronger safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
