Meta, the parent company of Facebook, came under intense scrutiny before a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Monday over the removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with lawmakers asserting that a mere apology would not suffice unless responsibility for the incident is fixed and legal action follows.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, convened a meeting with representatives from major social media platforms including Meta, Google and YouTube, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Union Home Ministry. The discussion also focused on the circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across digital platforms.
According to people familiar with the proceedings, a senior BJP parliamentarian questioned Meta executives over the removal of a video in which Prime Minister Modi had addressed students and assured strict action against examination paper leaks.
The MP reportedly sought answers on who authorised the takedown, why the Prime Minister’s video was removed while other objectionable content remained accessible, and who within the company would ultimately be held responsible.
Following the questioning, Meta officials reportedly expressed regret over the incident and offered an apology. However, the parliamentarian maintained that an apology alone was inadequate, insisting that accountability must be established and those responsible should face legal consequences.
The MP is also learnt to have raised concerns about the safety of ordinary Indian users on social media, arguing that if content posted by the country’s Prime Minister could be taken down without justification, common citizens were even more vulnerable to arbitrary moderation.
The controversy comes days after MeitY summoned Meta’s global team to explain concerns surrounding algorithmic bias, the functioning of its content moderation systems, and their potential impact on public order. While Meta attributed the removal of the Prime Minister’s video to a technical glitch, government sources said the ministry found the explanation unsatisfactory.
Separately, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered cases against Meta India head Arun Srinivas and several Facebook and Instagram accounts over allegedly AI-generated and morphed content targeting Prime Minister Modi. The development has further intensified scrutiny of Meta’s moderation practices and compliance with Indian laws.
