Meta Platforms’ Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan said he apologised to India’s information technology minister for the company’s inadvertent restriction of a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. "I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post," Kaplan said in a statement on Wednesday.
New Delhi’s information and technology ministry had summoned Meta executives following the brief restriction of the post. Meta attributed the incident to an operational mistake that caused the post to be blocked.
Separately, police authorities in the southern city of Hyderabad have filed a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos that were uploaded to Facebook and that allegedly portrayed Modi in an "abusive manner", Reuters reported last week, citing a senior police officer. Those videos circulated amid large youth-led protests that the article describes as the biggest India has seen in more than a decade. The demonstrations were sparked by leaked national examination papers that prompted the resignation of the education minister.
Meta’s interactions with Indian officials over content issues are part of a broader run of tensions between the company and the government, centred on material relating to the prime minister. The company has faced scrutiny as online criticism, jokes and ridicule directed at Modi multiplied during the protests.
In another development reported earlier in the day by local media, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised to Indian government officials for several operational lapses on the company’s platforms, including the handling of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content. The apology took place during a meeting between Meta executives and Indian government representatives, according to reports.
Indian authorities have also taken steps aimed at removing harmful content. In July the government ordered Meta to take down adverts and other material promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram, local reporting said, citing a senior official at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Meta has stated it maintains a zero-tolerance stance on child sexual abuse material and said it is working to strengthen its detection systems.
Meta did not immediately provide a response to requests for comment following the recent exchanges with Indian officials.
Summary
Meta has apologised to India for an operational error that temporarily restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident prompted government engagement with Meta executives amid wider concerns about content moderation, platform safety, and material depicting the prime minister during large-scale protests tied to leaked exam papers.
Key points
- Joel Kaplan apologised to India’s information technology minister for the inadvertent restriction of Modi’s post; Meta said the block was an operational error.
- Police in Hyderabad registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos allegedly depicting Modi abusively; the videos circulated during large youth-led protests prompted by leaked exam papers.
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised to Indian officials for operational lapses including child sexual abuse material and deepfakes; the government ordered removal of related content on Instagram.
Risks and uncertainties
- Regulatory and legal scrutiny of Meta in India is ongoing, exemplified by summonses and a police case; this could prolong tensions between the company and government agencies - relevant to the tech and legal sectors.
- Operational lapses cited by officials, including inadvertent content restrictions and failures around illicit material detection, present compliance and reputational risks for social media platforms - relevant to the social media and content-moderation ecosystem.
- Public protests and viral content relating to political figures may continue to drive rapid escalation of enforcement actions and public scrutiny, affecting platform governance and moderation practices - relevant to communications and public policy stakeholders.