Meta High-Level Delegation Meets Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Following PM Video Takedown Row

A high-level global delegation from Meta, led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, arrived at the Ministry in New Delhi to meet with Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, following an initial 45-minute briefing with MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan. The emergency meetings were convened after a Facebook video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-addressing students on examination paper leaks-was mistakenly removed from the platform for nearly five to six hours on July 28.

The visit follows stern warnings from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. The parliamentary panel demanded an "unqualified apology" directly from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg within three days. The panel warned that failure to issue an official apology could lead to the revocation of Meta’s statutory "safe harbor" protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which currently grants digital platforms legal immunity from liability over user-generated third-party content.

During the discussions, Meta executives attributed the temporary takedown to an algorithmic error and expressed regret over the incident, outlining new verification protocols implemented on July 28 to prevent automated flagging of verified, prominent public figures. Beyond the video controversy, government officials pressed Meta on broader compliance issues, including algorithmic bias, safeguards against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), detection of synthetically generated AI deepfakes, and compliance with Indian regulatory frameworks.