Meta Platforms, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has informed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) that prominent accounts, including that of the Prime Minister, will be subject to additional oversight on its platforms.
According to the company, any decision involving prominent accounts—such as removing content or reducing its reach—will undergo rigorous checks and require review by at least two senior company officials before action is taken. The ministry had summoned Meta's Global Head of Public Policy after the social media platform briefly removed Prime Minister Modi's Facebook post addressed to the youth. Prime Minister Modi had posted a video message on July 23 following the student protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party.
On Tuesday, users noticed that the post's visibility had been restricted in India, triggering a political uproar. Following the backlash, a Meta spokesperson said the content had been removed inadvertently and was later restored.
"The content was removed in error and has since been restored," the spokesperson said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the CII Conference on Semiconductors, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said the government will hold discussions with Meta within the next week on both policy and technical issues following several concern. Krishnan said the government has asked Meta to send its senior leadership to explain the circumstances that led to the incident.
"They will be coming and explaining what the situation is. We want to have both a policy-level and a technical understanding of the issues, and an adaptation to the kinds of concerns India has in this regard,” said Krishnan. He further added that Meta has expressed regret over the incident and has explained the circumstances that led to the erroneous removal of the Prime Minister's post. If this is intended for publication, you may also want to verify the name of the organisation mentioned as "Cockroach Janta Party," as it appears unusual and may require confirmation or correction.
