PTC Web Desk:  Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to the Indian government and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology over several concerns related to the company's operations in India. The apology comes amid growing scrutiny of the social media giant over content moderation, child safety and platform accountability.

According to official sources, the apology covered the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video on exam reforms, the presence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and other operational lapses on Meta-owned platforms.

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On Wednesday, senior Meta executives met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhavan. Earlier in the day, the company's representatives also held discussions with IT Secretary S. Krishnan.

During the meeting, government officials reportedly directed Meta to issue an apology within three days for removing PM Modi's video for nearly five hours and for allowing child sexual abuse content to remain on its platforms.

Govt questions Meta's Safe Harbour protection

Official sources said Meta acknowledged mistakes in handling content on its platforms and expressed regret over the incidents.

The company also admitted that significant amounts of money had been spent to promote certain categories of content through paid boosting. Government officials reportedly told Meta that such practices go beyond the role of a neutral intermediary.

According to the sources, it was clearly conveyed to the company that since Meta determines how content is distributed to users through its algorithms, it cannot automatically claim protection under the 'safe harbour' provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Parliament panel issues strong warning

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology Chairman Nishikant Dubey also issued a strong warning to Meta, stating that the company could lose its safe harbour protection if it failed to apologise.

Questioning the platform's functioning, Dubey raised concerns over abusive content, online harassment, violence, child sexual abuse material, misinformation and what he described as anti-national fake news being promoted through algorithmic trends.

He also referred to the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video, saying that the content was unavailable to the country's 140 crore citizens for nearly five hours. According to Dubey, the public is now increasingly aware of how social media platforms operate and expects greater accountability from technology companies.