Parliament panel seeks answers from Meta over PM Modi video removal

NEW DELHI: One missing video has snowballed into a much bigger question about who controls the digital switch. Meta is facing fresh scrutiny from Parliament after the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted lawmakers to question the company’s content moderation practices, algorithms and legal protections in India.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology on Monday sought accountability from the social media giant over the incident, with several members demanding action against the officials responsible and warning that Meta’s safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act could come under review.

Committee chairman Nishikant Dubey said lawmakers wanted greater clarity on how Meta’s algorithms function and how moderation decisions are made.

“Meta India removed the Prime Minister’s content. This is not the first time Meta India has done this,” Dubey told reporters after the meeting.

Referring to remarks made earlier this year by Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg regarding India’s 2024 general elections, Dubey alleged that the comments reflected an intention to destabilise the country.

The committee has also demanded a public apology from Zuckerberg, warning that failure to do so could trigger a review of the legal protections available to online intermediaries under Section 79.

“Our committee has clearly stated that the apology should come from Zuckerberg. If Zuckerberg does not give it, then the safe harbour protection under Section 79 should be withdrawn,” Dubey said.

Beyond the video controversy, lawmakers also questioned Meta’s handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content affecting women, alleging that the company had failed to adequately comply with government regulations or respond effectively to concerns raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

According to reports citing multiple sources, Meta executives told the panel that the Prime Minister’s video had been removed “by mistake” and apologised for the incident. However, several committee members reportedly maintained that an apology alone was insufficient and called for action against the individual responsible for the takedown.

The panel also sought a detailed explanation of the circumstances surrounding the incident and questioned Meta’s broader approach to moderating sensitive and controversial content across its platforms.

The controversy began in the early hours of July 28, when a video posted on Prime Minister Modi’s official Facebook page briefly disappeared. Users attempting to access the post were shown a message stating that it was unavailable in India due to a “legal request”, fuelling speculation on social media.

Meta restored the video within hours and later clarified that its disappearance between approximately 12.30 am and 5 am had resulted from an internal technical error, not a government directive or an enforcement action under its content policies. The company subsequently apologised, describing the episode as an unintended technical glitch.

The committee also broadened the discussion to social media algorithms, with Dubey raising concerns over alleged disparities in viewership patterns involving political parties and other organisations.

As India tightens its focus on digital platforms, the latest parliamentary scrutiny suggests that the debate has moved well beyond a single missing video. Increasingly, the spotlight is turning to how global technology companies make moderation decisions, how transparent those systems are, and whether the legal protections they enjoy should come with greater accountability.