India Panel Demands Zuckerberg Apology Over PM Reel Removal, Threatens 'Safe Harbour' Loss

India's parliamentary committee on communications and information technology has demanded an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook Reel, warning that the company could lose its "safe harbour" protection under the Information Technology Act.

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Meta’s mindset is to destabilise the country. PM Modi’s video was taken down from 12.30 am to 5 am. This is a very serious issue.

Committee chairperson Nishikant Dubey conveyed this message during a meeting with senior officials from Meta, Google, YouTube, X, and Snapchat. The meeting was convened after Meta briefly took down Modi's reel, prompting the government to seek an explanation. Dubey stated that the reel was removed between 12:30 am and 5 am, calling it a "very serious issue" and asserting that Meta's "mindset is to destabilize the country."

Section 79 of India's IT Act grants social media companies immunity from liability for third-party content, provided they comply with due diligence and government directives. Dubey's warning suggests that failure to apologize could lead to the revocation of this protection for Meta.

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Meta’s mindset is to destabilise the country. PM Modi’s video was taken down from 12.30 am to 5 am. This is a very serious issue. Our committee has said two things, the apology must come from Mark Zuckerberg or else we will take back the safe harbour given to Meta under Section 79.

However, the demand faced pushback from opposition members of the committee. While they supported stronger regulations against harmful content like child sexual abuse material and deepfakes, they argued that criticism of the government should not be equated with anti-national content. One opposition MP stated, "We are talking about regulating technology and not democracy. This is regulation and not censorship."

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We are talking about regulating technology and not democracy. This is regulation and not censorship.

According to sources, Meta apologized during the meeting, attributing the reel's removal to an "algorithmic error." A Meta executive reportedly assured the committee that the issue would not be repeated and that the company would amend its algorithm and submit it to the home ministry. The reel in question was posted by PM Modi on July 23, addressing student concerns and announcing measures to combat exam paper leaks.

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An executive of Meta apologised for taking down PM Modi’s video from Facebook. He said there was some algorithm mistake. He also assured next time it won’t be repeated and that Meta will amend their algorithm and send it to the home ministry.