Meta officials meet govt over PM Modi video takedown; panel seeks Zuckerberg apology

A parliamentary panel has asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to issue an "unqualified apology" within three days over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post last month, recommending that the company lose its safe harbour protection in India if it fails to do so.

The recommendation came even as a high-level Meta delegation, led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, met Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the erroneous takedown of the Prime Minister's video. The meeting lasted around 45 minutes, during which Meta officials explained the reasons behind the incident. Kaplan and his team are also scheduled to meet IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw later in the day.

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The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, said in a communication to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) that Zuckerberg should tender an "unqualified apology" within three days of receiving the letter.

"If he fails to tender an unqualified apology within three days of receipt of this letter, the protection/immunity given under Section 79(3) of the IT Act may be withdrawn, and action will be taken against him as a publisher," the committee said.

The committee expressed concern that Prime Minister Modi's video addressing students and Gen Z on examination controversies and paper leaks remained unavailable on Facebook for around five to six hours.

Earlier in the day, Dubey said that the committee had unanimously recommended withdrawal of the legal protection available to intermediaries if Zuckerberg failed to apologise.

"Meta India removed the Prime Minister's content. This is not the first time Meta India has done this... If Zuckerberg does not apologise, then the safe harbour protection under Section 79 should be withdrawn," Dubey said.

The controversy stems from the temporary restriction of Prime Minister Modi's Facebook post, in which he addressed students and promised stricter action against examination paper leaks. Meta later restored the post, attributing the removal to a technical error involving its automated content moderation systems.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), however, termed the explanation "inadequate".

Meta officials did not respond to questions on who was responsible for the mistaken removal of the video.

The parliamentary panel's recommendation comes days after representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, MeitY and major digital platforms — including Meta, Google, X, Snapchat and YouTube — appeared before the committee to discuss the regulation of social media platforms.

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Beyond the Prime Minister's post, the panel also raised concerns over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content demeaning women on intermediary platforms, warning that failure to remove such content could also invite recommendations for withdrawal of safe harbour protection under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act.

Separately, IT Secretary S. Krishnan had said the government would raise multiple issues with Meta's global leadership, including the temporary removal of the Prime Minister's post, CSAM, safeguards for verified accounts, AI-generated content, algorithmic bias and compliance with Indian law.

Safe harbour under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act provides conditional legal protection to online intermediaries from liability for third-party content, subject to compliance with due diligence obligations. The parliamentary committee's recommendation is not binding, and any decision on the company's safe harbour status would have to be taken by the government under the existing legal framework.

(With inputs from ANI)