Meta apologises for removing PM Modi's Facebook post, admits paid content boosting: Govt

Meta Platforms, on Wednesday, 5 August, apologised for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post from the platform, a spokesperson confirmed to Mint.

Meta's global delegation, led by Global Affairs head Joel Kaplan, acknowledged lapses in the functioning of the company's platforms during its meeting with Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, admitted errors related to platform operations.

“I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post,” Kaplan has said, as confirmed by the spokesperson to Mint.

According to PTI news agency, government officials said the company's representatives apologised and expressed regret over the incident and other lapses related to content moderation.

Meta admitted that “a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content”, PTI further reported citing government officials familiar with the matter.

Before meeting Vaishnaw, Kaplan and his team held separate discussions with IT Secretary S Krishnan.

The talks took place after the government summoned Meta's top global executives over the temporary removal of PM Modi's Facebook post last month. The company had attributed the incident to a technical glitch.

Government officials said the company's representatives apologised and conveyed regret over the incident as well as other lapses related to content moderation.

They added that Meta executives acknowledged that "a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content". However, they did not provide further details on the matter.

According to them, the Centre told Meta that it could not be considered a neutral "intermediary" under India's Information Technology Act, as its algorithms actively curate, recommend and decide which users are shown specific content, instead of merely providing a platform for third-party material.

Based on this argument, the government maintained that Meta would not qualify for safe harbour protection granted to intermediaries, which protects platforms from legal liability for user-generated content, provided they comply with applicable laws.

They said the concerns were placed before Meta's global leadership as part of the government's wider effort to ensure greater accountability from digital platforms.

The government also raised questions with Meta regarding issues such as child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, protections for verified and high-profile accounts, algorithmic bias and adherence to Indian laws.

According to government officials, Meta acknowledged that significant amounts of illegal content had been promoted on its platforms and that paid promotions targeting specific audiences had taken place. Sources added that the company would be summoned again for further discussions.

PM Modi's reel fiasco

Meta came under scrutiny after it briefly restricted PM Modi's Facebook post on 23 July, in which he addressed young people and assured strict measures against examination paper leaks.

The post was initially shared by Modi as a selfie video on Instagram before being posted on Facebook.

Meta later reinstated the post, stating that it had been taken down due to an error in its AI-powered automated content filtering system and issued an apology over the incident.

On Tuesday, IT Secretary S Krishnan said the government wanted clarity on why Meta's systems failed and the difficulties the company encountered in preventing such issues. He added that digital platforms needed a better understanding of India's legal framework and the steps they would take to ensure compliance.

The government had dismissed Meta's explanation as inadequate, maintaining that the matter was not limited to technical failures but also involved concerns related to national security and public order.

Separately, Meta faced regulatory scrutiny after the government issued a notice last month over allegations involving child sexual abuse material in paid advertisements on Instagram.

Meanwhile, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Wednesday demanded an apology from CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the removal of PM Modi's Facebook post. In a letter, the committee warned that the legal protection and immunity available to Zuckerberg could be withdrawn if an apology was not issued within three days.

(With inputs from agency)