Meta Apologizes for Temporary Restriction of PM Modi’s Facebook Post
New Delhi — Meta has apologized for temporarily restricting a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the company directly conveyed its regret to Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan said he apologized to Vaishnaw on behalf of the company for the error.
“I apologized to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post,” Kaplan said in a statement shared by the company with NDTV.
Kaplan was part of a senior Meta delegation that met Vaishnaw on Wednesday to discuss concerns about the company’s platforms and content moderation practices. The delegation also held separate talks with IT Secretary S. Krishnan before meeting the minister.
The apology comes as Meta faces increased scrutiny in India over the circulation of child sexual abuse material, deepfakes and other objectionable content, as well as the temporary restriction placed on Modi’s post.
Government sources said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also expressed regret over shortcomings in the company’s handling of harmful and manipulated content. According to the sources, Zuckerberg acknowledged concerns raised by Indian officials and apologized for errors in the operation of Meta’s platforms.
Officials also warned the company that its role in selecting and distributing content could affect its eligibility for legal protections available to neutral intermediaries under India’s Information Technology Act.
Government representatives argued that “safe harbor” protections may not apply when a platform actively determines which content is shown to users.
“It was made clear to them that they are not covered under the intermediary definition. They select who receives the content. Safe harbor under the IT Act not applicable,” government sources said.
The sources also claimed that Meta acknowledged that money had been paid to boost certain categories of content and expressed regret over the matter. (Source: IANS)
