It was also clarified that the company would not be protected under the definition of an intermediary and that the benefits of safe harbor under the Information Technology Act would not apply. It is worth noting that Mark Zuckerberg was given an ultimatum to apologize within three days for deleting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video.
Zuckerberg apologizes
Mark Zuckerberg has apologized for CSAM content, deepfake content, and the mistakes made in the platform’s operation. The government clarified that Meta cannot be considered an intermediary because the company determines which content reaches which users. The government stated that the safe harbor protections under the Information Technology Act do not apply in this case. It also stated that significant amounts of money were spent to promote certain content. Zuckerberg also apologized for this and expressed regret for the mistake.
Controversy Over PM Modi’s Video Removal
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology strongly objected to Meta’s temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July 23 video. Committee Chairman and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey described the removal of a video representing 1.4 billion Indians as an attack on democracy. The Parliamentary Committee directed Meta to take action against those responsible for the mistake and gave Mark Zuckerberg a three-day ultimatum to apologize. Zuckerberg has now apologized.
A three-day ultimatum was given.
The parliamentary committee stated that if Meta does not take action within three days and Mark Zuckerberg does not personally apologize, the company may consider removing its safe harbor protection under the Information Technology Act.
Parliamentary committee chairman Nishikant Dubey stated that removing the Prime Minister’s video was not the work of any intermediary but rather a publisher-level decision. According to Dubey, if the safe harbor protection is removed, it could open the door to filing a direct FIR against the social media platform’s officials.