New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is set to confront top global executives from Meta over persistent lapses in curbing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and the erroneous moderation of verified high-profile accounts. Speaking on Tuesday on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence event at IIT Madras, IT Secretary S. Krishnan confirmed that a delegation of Meta’s international leadership, including top executive Joel Kaplan, will meet with Indian government officials in New Delhi on August 5 and 6. The high-level meeting follows growing friction between the central government and the social media giant regarding platform accountability, algorithmic oversight, and compliance with domestic digital safety frameworks.
A major catalyst for the direct intervention stems from an incident in late July when a video post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing student protests over competitive examination paper leaks was briefly restricted on Facebook. Although Meta attributed the temporary removal to an automated content filter technical glitch and issued an apology, MeitY rejected the explanation as inadequate. In response, Meta informed the ministry that it has established enhanced, multi-tiered oversight protocols specifically designed to protect posts from the Prime Minister and other prominent figures from accidental automated removal. However, government officials maintained that a leading technology firm must ensure its automated tools operate reliably without imposing improper restrictions or exhibiting algorithmic bias.
Beyond account moderation issues, the government is demanding comprehensive updates regarding Meta’s failure to prevent CSAM from appearing in paid advertisements on platforms like Instagram. India’s IT Ministry previously issued a formal notice to Meta regarding online child safety, emphasizing that compliance with Indian law, national security, and public order remain non-negotiable. IT Secretary Krishnan noted that the ministry will categorically press Meta’s global team to explain the internal mechanisms of their recommendation algorithms, their strategies for identifying synthetically generated deepfake content, and their specific administrative measures to prevent future platform failures.
The scrutiny from the executive branch coincides with increased legislative pressure from Parliament. On Tuesday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, criticized social media platforms for failing to filter out illicit material involving women and children while suppressing legitimate public discourse. Following an intensive hearing where local Meta representatives were questioned on Monday, the parliamentary panel unanimously recommended withdrawing “safe harbour” legal protections from social media intermediaries that fail to comply strictly with Indian regulations. By summoning Meta’s global executives directly, the Indian government intends to ensure platform accountability at the highest corporate level.
