Meta Apologises to India for 'Error' in Restricting PM Modi's Post
New Delhi: A senior Meta executive on Wednesday formally apologised to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after the company briefly restricted a social media post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, said he expressed regret on behalf of the company for what he described as an error.
Kaplan, along with other top Meta executives, met IT Secretary S. Krishnan and senior officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The discussion lasted approximately 45 minutes and focused on the incident, which drew sharp criticism from the government and parliamentary members.
The controversy began on July 23, when PM Modi posted a vertical video directly addressing citizens. The video was posted during a period of intense online protests, including those associated with a group known as the 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP). Shortly after publication, the video was removed from Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram. It was later restored.
Meta attributed the removal to a technical glitch and apologised. However, MeitY officials found the explanation inadequate. The company reiterated that the content was removed 'in error' and promptly restored once the issue was identified.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who chairs the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, said the committee held Meta accountable for the incident. “Deleting the prime minister's video was not the work of an intermediary, but that of a publisher,” Dubey told reporters. He added that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg should apologise within three days.
India's parliamentary standing committees play a significant role in scrutinising government policies and summoning officials and corporate executives for questioning. However, these committees do not have the authority to impose penalties, revoke legal protections, or direct prosecutions. Any formal action against an online platform would have to be taken by the government or courts under existing laws.
India is Meta's largest market by user base, with hundreds of millions of people using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in the country. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between global tech companies and Indian authorities over content moderation practices. While Meta has consistently stated that it follows local laws and strives to handle content fairly, this case has intensified scrutiny of how the platform manages posts from high-ranking officials.
The apology from Kaplan is seen as a step toward de-escalating the matter. However, the government's response suggests that it expects more than a formal apology. MeitY had earlier termed Meta's explanation as 'inadequate', indicating that further clarifications or remedial measures may be required.
As of now, no official statement has been issued by Meta India regarding the meeting. The company has not responded to additional questions from the media. The issue is likely to be taken up in the next meeting of the parliamentary committee, where Meta executives may be summoned for a detailed hearing.
