Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised for the presence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and operational lapses on the company’s platforms during recent engagements with the Indian government. Government sources told The Indian Express that Zuckerberg conveyed his regret over the incidents and acknowledged shortcomings in the company’s handling of harmful content.
On August 5, Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan and a host of global executives met Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officials, including Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
During the discussions, government officials conveyed that Meta’s operations go beyond those of a passive intermediary because the company actively determines how content is distributed and recommended to users. As reported by The Indian Express, Mark Zuckerberg apologised for the presence of CSAM, deepfake content, and operational lapses on Meta’s platforms. Officials also made it clear that Meta does not qualify as an intermediary, as it determines who receives content. Consequently, the safe harbour protection under the IT Act would not apply. The company also admitted that significant sums were spent to boost certain types of content and apologised for it.
Meanwhile, Meta is already facing heat on the deletion of PM Modi’s Facebook video addressing students.
According to sources, Meta acknowledged during its recent engagement with the Indian government that a significant amount of illegal content had been promoted on its platforms. The company admitted that paid promotion had been used to amplify certain content to specific audiences and accepted responsibility for the lapse, sources told The Indian Express. Officials are expected to summon Meta again for further discussions.
The admission comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of the social media giant in India. In July, the Indian government directed Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Instagram, the BBC reported, citing a senior Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) official. The government also sought an explanation from the company within seven days on how advertisements containing such material had been allowed on the platform.
Meta said at the time it had a “zero-tolerance policy” on child sexual abuse material and was continuing to strengthen its detection systems, according to the BBC.
Last month, India’s information and technology ministry also summoned Meta executives after Facebook briefly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The company later said the post had been blocked inadvertently because of an “operational error.”
Separately, Hyderabad Police registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos posted on Facebook that allegedly depicted Modi in an “abusive manner”, according to a senior police officer.
The developments come as India has tightened its content moderation framework this year, reducing the legal protections available to online platforms while increasing the accountability of their executives. Since February, platforms have been required to remove unlawful content flagged by courts or the government within three hours, down from the earlier 36-hour deadline, or risk losing the legal protection available to intermediaries.