Govt, Meta to continue talks on content moderation policies after PM Modi reel row

Indian government officials will continue discussions with Meta's technical team over the next few days regarding content moderation policies, algorithms, and compliance mechanisms. This follows the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook reel, which raised concerns within the government.

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I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for error restricting PM Modi’s post.

Meta's chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, met with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and apologized for the incident. The Prime Minister's reel was inaccessible on the platform for about five hours on July 28. Meta attributed the takedown to an automated system error that incorrectly matched the reel with another video.

Senior officials expressed satisfaction with Meta's explanation of the technical error but emphasized the need to ensure the company's systems operate within India's constitutional and legal limits. "Are they putting enough guardrails to ensure that they are operating within the constitutional and legal limits in India?" one official asked, requesting anonymity. The government stressed that Meta must adhere to the laws of India, not those of the US or Europe.

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We need to understand if their algorithms and compliance mechanisms have sufficient checks and balances. Are they putting enough guardrails to ensure that they are operating within the constitutional and legal limits in India?

Discussions may also address concerns about Meta's planned rollout of WhatsApp usernames, which the government fears could increase the risk of impersonation and cybercrime, while hindering law enforcement investigations. The meetings and Meta's apology come amid unease within the government and the ruling party over actions taken on the Prime Minister's post.

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They cannot run their platforms in India as per the US Constitution or European Constitution. All we want is that the law of the land is being followed.