NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said Meta's technical team will continue discussions with its officials on issues related to alleged algorithmic bias and other technical concerns, even after Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan leaves India.
According to government sources, Kaplan is scheduled to leave India on Thursday, but Meta's technical team will continue engaging with the government's technology teams.
The sources said, all social media platforms, including X and others, must comply with Indian laws.
"I want to emphasise one point. We are a constitutional democracy. The rule of law is paramount. Platforms operating in India cannot function according to the US Constitution or the Constitution of Europe. They have to function according to the Constitution of India and the laws of India," said the government sources.
Meta officials were summoned by the government after the company briefly removed a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as over issues related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Instagram, deepfake content, and algorithmic bias on its platforms.
The government also alleged that the platform's biased algorithms promoted anti-government content on Instagram.
Kaplan met MeitY Secretary S Krishnan and later held discussions with Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Following the meeting on August 5, Kaplan issued an official apology for mistakenly restricting a recent video post by the Prime Minister on Facebook.
Government sources also said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised over the incident and that the company admitted "a lot of money was paid for boosting certain types of content."
When asked why Meta was summoned for a second day despite the earlier meetings with MeitY officials and the minister, government sources said the issues have multiple dimensions, including technical, policy and legal aspects. Therefore, the discussions will continue.
Asked about the outcome of the meeting and the future course of action, the sources said the government's primary expectation is that all platforms comply with Indian laws.
"That is the primary requirement," the official said.
On whether the government would initiate legal proceedings against Meta, the sources said any further action would follow the legal process.
"The first question is whether they are functioning in accordance with the law of the land," the official added.
When asked whether the government had asked Meta to remove abusive content directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the official said any regulation must be viewed within India's constitutional framework.
"Article 19 guarantees freedom of speech, but Article 19(2) also provides for reasonable restrictions. Similarly, other constitutional rights have to be considered. All these aspects have to be balanced," the official said.