New Delhi. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologized to the government over several complaints related to the platform in India. On Wednesday, Zuckerberg expressed regret over child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and technical glitches related to the operating system. According to government sources, he also admitted mistakes related to promotion of certain types of content on the platform.
Questions raised on promoting content
According to government sources, it was made clear to Meta that it is not limited to the role of an intermediary only, as it has a role in which content will be shown to which user on the platform. Sources said that the government's position was also clarified regarding the 'safe harbor' protection given to Meta under the Information Technology Act.
According to sources, the Meta chief admitted to being paid to promote certain types of content and apologized in this regard, regretting his mistake.
IT Ministry laid emphasis on following laws
Earlier, the IT Ministry had clarified that social media platforms including Meta have to follow the local laws of India. The government also took a strict stance regarding the accountability of platforms and rules related to their content moderation.
At the same time, the parliamentary committee had asked Mark Zuckerberg to tender an unconditional apology within three days for blocking a post of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook for some time. It was also said on behalf of the committee that if apology is not sought within the stipulated time, the 'Safe Harbor Protection' available to Meta in India may be affected.
This apology issued by Meta has come at a time when questions are being raised on the content moderation policies of social media companies in India, their accountability regarding deepfakes and objectionable content.