Meta on Wednesday apologised for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, while also acknowledging shortcomings in tackling child sexual abuse material, deepfakes and illegal content during a meeting with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday, government sources said.
While Meta's global affairs chief Joel Kaplan, who travelled from the US for meetings with Indian officials, said in a written statement that he "apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi's post", government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed the apology came from company chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
The sources said Meta's global executives have been asked to stay back for another round of discussions on Thursday, when Vaishnaw is scheduled to meet them again along with members of the company's technical team.
Kaplan, who previously served in the administration of former US President George W. Bush before joining Meta (then Facebook) in 2011, had been summoned to explain the temporary restriction of Modi's July 23 Facebook post in which the Prime Minister addressed students and promised stringent action against examination paper leaks.
He first met IT Secretary S. Krishnan before holding talks with Vaishnaw.
According to government sources, Vaishnaw questioned Meta on whether it accepted payments to promote content capable of triggering public disorder. The government also referred to Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, warning that failure to fulfil intermediary obligations could jeopardise the company's safe harbour protection.
Following the meeting, the sources claimed Meta executives admitted to lapses involving child sexual abuse content and deepfakes and acknowledged that "a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content".
Vaishnaw also sought an explanation on whether Meta was doing enough to curb illegal content on its platforms.
"They admitted that their systems are not fully geared up for so much of the content which is illegal.They admitted that they are not able to control all of it," government sources said.
Neither Kaplan nor any other Meta representative commented on the government's claims.
The restriction of Modi's Facebook post had triggered a political controversy, prompting the Centre to summon Meta's global executives, while a Parliamentary Standing Committee sought an apology from Zuckerberg within three days.
Government sources said the Meta team expressed regret over the incident and other content moderation failures. Company executives also admitted that "a lot of money was paid for boosting a certain type of content", they said, without elaborating.
The claim of money being paid pertained to child sexual abuse content.
The Centre also argued that Meta could not claim to be a neutral intermediary under the Information Technology Act because its algorithms actively curate and recommend content rather than merely hosting third-party material.
On that basis, the government maintained that Meta may not be entitled to safe harbour protections, which shield intermediaries from liability for user-generated content subject to compliance with Indian law.
According to the sources, the issue was raised with Meta's global leadership as part of the government's push for greater accountability from digital platforms.
The government also questioned the company over child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, safeguards for verified and prominent accounts, algorithmic bias and compliance with Indian law.
"Meta admitted that a lot of illegal content was promoted, and paid promotions were carried out for specific audiences," government sources said, adding that the company would be called for further discussions.
Meta had come under scrutiny after temporarily restricting Modi's July 23 Facebook post. The Prime Minister had first uploaded the selfie video on Instagram before sharing it on Facebook, where it was briefly restricted.
The company later restored the post, attributing the removal to an error by AI-powered automated content filters and apologised.
IT Secretary Krishnan had said on Tuesday that the government wanted to understand why Meta's systems had failed and what challenges the company faced in addressing such issues, adding that platforms needed a clearer understanding of India's legal requirements and how they intended to ensure compliance.
The government rejected Meta's explanation as inadequate, saying the issue involved not only technical shortcomings but also national security and public order.
Meta has also been under regulatory scrutiny after receiving a government notice last month over alleged child sexual abuse material in paid advertisements on Instagram.
Separately, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Wednesday sought an apology from Zuckerberg over the removal of Modi's Facebook post, warning in a letter that protection and immunity available to him could be withdrawn if no apology was forthcoming within three days.
