The controversy has also triggered scrutiny from Parliament, with demands for greater accountability from Meta
Meta has informed the Centre that the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Facebook video was the result of a technical error in its automated content moderation system and not the action of any employee, sources said after senior company officials met IT Secretary S. Krishnan on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Meta officials explained that the company’s artificial intelligence-based moderation system had incorrectly flagged the Prime Minister’s video, leading to its temporary removal. According to sources, the company maintained that no human intervention was involved in the decision and described the incident as an unintended technical lapse.
The Centre has been seeking a detailed explanation ever since the video was taken down, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) expressing dissatisfaction with Meta’s initial explanation. The government has also asked the social media giant to strengthen safeguards to prevent similar incidents involving high-profile public accounts.
Meta is understood to have reiterated its regret over the incident and outlined additional safeguards for prominent government accounts. These include enhanced internal reviews and greater oversight before content from such accounts is subjected to moderation or removal.
The controversy has also reached Parliament. A parliamentary panel headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has demanded a personal apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, arguing that the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s video was a serious lapse. The panel has warned that continued non-compliance could invite scrutiny of Meta’s safe harbour protections under Indian law.
The government is expected to continue engaging with Meta on its content moderation practices, algorithmic accountability and measures to prevent erroneous takedowns of content posted by constitutional authorities.
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