PM Modi Facebook post row: The Central Government has stepped up its scrutiny of Meta after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post was briefly removed from the platform. Government officials are now engaging with the company's global leadership to determine whether Meta is fully complying with Indian laws and regulatory requirements.

According to sources, discussions between Indian authorities and Meta's global team are still underway, with officials seeking detailed explanations about the company's content moderation systems and compliance mechanisms.

Also Read | Mark Zuckerberg apologises over removal of PM Modi's post; Meta admits failures in tackling child sexual abuse content and deepfakes

Govt seeks answers from Meta

Sources said the government was questioning Meta on several aspects of its operations in India, including whether its algorithms function in line with Indian legal requirements.

Officials are also seeking information on the company's internal compliance framework, safeguards to prevent similar incidents and the checks and balances in place to ensure that constitutional and legal provisions are followed while moderating content.

Ashwini Vaishnaw meets Meta's global team

Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met representatives of Meta's global team on Thursday. Following the meeting, discussions are expected to continue between officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Meta's technical experts.

The government is understood to be seeking greater clarity on the systems used by the social media giant to review and remove content.

Meta had apologised for the incident

Earlier, Meta admitted that the temporary removal of Prime Minister Modi's Facebook post was the result of a technical error and restored the content shortly afterwards. The company also acknowledged shortcomings in dealing with issues such as child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and the promotion of certain posts through paid mechanisms.

Joel Kaplan Expressed Regret

Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan had issued a written statement apologising to the Union minister for the mistaken restriction placed on the Prime Minister's Facebook post.

However, government sources maintained that the apology was conveyed on behalf of Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg.

What triggered the row?

The controversy began after a Facebook post shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taken down for a brief period before being reinstated. Meta later clarified that the removal was unintended and attributed it to a technical glitch. Despite the explanation and apology, the government has continued its engagement with the company to examine whether adequate systems are in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.