MeitY Advisory to Meta: The central government has raised serious questions on Meta, the world-renowned tech company that runs Facebook and Instagram, not only for removing content or monitoring it, but also against the system algorithm behind it. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made it clear to Meta that users should not be exposed to the same story, one-sided misleading information or inflammatory content on its social media platforms. The government has warned that if the recommendation systems go viral by over-promoting certain types of content, it could create serious problems of confusion, fear and threat to public peace in the country.
In an official advisory issued last October 10, MeitY ordered Meta to immediately review its content recommendation and ranking systems. The ministry has stressed that Facebook and Instagram users should always have access to “reliable, relevant and diverse” correct information. Videos, images or graphics depicting public events, sensitive law and order issues are distributed to millions of people through algorithms without any proper context, which is extremely dangerous for social peace.
Red eye against old videos and fake news going viral
The government has directed extra vigilance especially during fragile law and order situations. The Ministry has expressed serious concern over the dissemination of images and videos of old incidents as new incidents, edited scenes, unsubstantiated claims related to emergencies or police action and viral audio-video content without sufficient context. The government believes that if such rumors and misleading content spread rapidly with the help of algorithms, the negative impact can be seen in the form of riots or violence in the real world.
MeitY orders Meta to develop a new system
MeitY has asked Meta to develop robust methods to identify specific posts and content that are getting unusually high reach through the algorithm in a very short period of time. The ministry wants such trending content to be reviewed immediately, especially if it threatens to cause widespread confusion, violence or disturbance of public peace. Simply hosting a post and promoting it massively through an algorithm are two different things, and this doubles the liability and responsibility of the social media platform.
Notification under IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021
The advisory, issued under the Information Technology Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021, states to prevent dissemination of misleading or out-of-context content. It will be mandatory to give proper reference to date, place and actual condition along with photos and videos. However, the government has clarified that it is not at all intended to stifle legitimate expression or public debate. MeitY has directed Meta to take necessary security measures with immediate effect and submit a report on compliance of this advisory to the Ministry.