The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) has issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologize for removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video.
Facebook and Instagram were also accused of promoting defamatory videos about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent student protests against the NEET exam. However, the matter escalated further when Facebook banned a video of PM Modi in India.
‘If Zuckerberg doesn’t apologize’
The committee has clarified that if Zuckerberg does not apologize, the government may withdraw the exemption given to Meta. In a letter to the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, a director of the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that the committee has taken very seriously the matter of removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video from Facebook for 5-6 hours, in which he addressed students and ‘Gen Z’ about controversies related to the examination and strict action against question paper leaks.
The letter reads, “During its deliberations, the Committee demanded an apology from Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, on this matter. If he does not tender an unconditional apology within three days of receiving this letter, the protection/exemption granted to him under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act may be withdrawn and action may be taken against him as a publisher.” The letter was written by Lok Sabha Director A. Jyothirmoyee to S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
If the government removes the exemption under Section 79(3) of the Act, social media companies could also be held liable for third-party content and face litigation.
Zuckerberg’s intention is to destabilize the country: Nishikant Dubey
Committee Chairman Nishikant Dubey said, “This isn’t the first time Meta has removed a video. In 2024, Mark Zuckerberg made objectionable comments about the results of the parliamentary elections. His intention is to destabilize the country. The temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s official Facebook post is a serious matter, and the committee wants to know why.” Dubey also said that social media platforms are not following the instructions of the Home Ministry and Information Technology Ministries.
‘It cannot be dismissed as a technical glitch’
Nishikant Dubey further said, “Either there’s a major flaw in the system, or there’s a deliberate attempt by Meta and Instagram to tarnish the image of our Prime Minister. If Meta treats the Prime Minister’s official posts this way, what about posts from ordinary citizens? Such a glitch can’t be dismissed as a technical error.”
Instagram on the radar
The committee discussed issues including the failure to effectively curb child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAM) on social media platforms. The committee also called for action against intermediary platforms that host child sexual abuse material (CASM) and derogatory content against women.
The letter stated that if intermediaries do not remove CASM content from their portals, action should be taken under Section 79(3) of the IT Act. A recent BBC report revealed that Instagram was promoting child sexual abuse material.
Meanwhile, senior Meta officials, including Joel Kaplan, global affairs officer, met with IT Secretary S. Krishnan and other senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for about 45 minutes. Later, they are scheduled to meet with Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav.
Indian government should take action against Google.
The committee also demanded action against Google India. The committee stated that people had suffered losses of over 4.8 million rupees due to fraudulent apps. The committee discussed the action taken by the Hyderabad Cyber Police against the head of Google India as a co-accused of cyber fraudsters. Previously, complainants had alleged that they had lost over 4.8 million rupees by investing through fraudulent apps. The committee wants the Indian government to take similar action against Google India.