0 months ago
Zuckerberg Apologises to India Over CSAM and Deepfakes on Meta
Mark Zuckerberg is the boss of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
He said sorry to the Indian government because harmful videos and pictures were found on his apps.
Some of that content showed children being hurt, and some were fake videos called deepfakes.
Meta admitted it had paid money to make some of this content more popular on its apps.
The Indian government said Meta cannot just claim to be a neutral messenger, because its computers choose which posts people see.
Because Meta makes those choices, the government said the company must follow the same laws as other publishers.
India's technology minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, told Meta clearly that India will protect its people and will not allow illegal content to spread.
Earlier, leaders in India's parliament wanted Zuckerberg to apologise for briefly removing a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meta said that removal was only a technical mistake, and the video was restored after a few hours.
Now the government has warned all major social media companies to follow Indian laws or lose their legal protections.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologised to the Indian government over child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfakes and operational errors on Meta platforms.
Senior Meta executives, including Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, met MeitY officials in New Delhi on August 3 and August 5.
The government argued that Meta is not a passive 'intermediary' under the Information Technology Act because its algorithms select content, so safe harbour protection should not apply.
Meta admitted that significant illegal content was promoted and that paid promotions were used to boost certain content to targeted audiences.
The apology followed a parliamentary committee ultimatum over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video, which Meta attributed to a technical error and later restored.
- Who
- Mark Zuckerberg and senior Meta executives, including Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, together with Indian Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MeitY officials.
- What
- Zuckerberg apologised for CSAM, deepfakes and operational errors on Meta platforms, while the government challenged Meta's intermediary status and safe harbour protection under the Information Technology Act.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- Meetings were held on August 3 and August 5, after the parliamentary committee issued a three-day ultimatum.
- Why
- The government pressed Meta over harmful and illegal content, including CSAM and deepfakes, and over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video.
Indian Government & Parliament
Meta
Intermediary status and safe harbour
Indian Government & Parliament
Meta actively selects and amplifies content through algorithms and paid promotion, so it cannot claim passive intermediary status or safe harbour protection under the Information Technology Act and should face legal consequences for illegal content.
Meta
Meta acknowledged mistakes in running its platforms and expressed regret through senior officials, seeking to resolve the matter through engagement rather than accepting full liability.
Removal of PM Modi's video
Indian Government & Parliament
The parliamentary committee demanded an unqualified personal apology from Zuckerberg within three days and warned of losing immunity, prosecution and the filing of an FIR.
Meta
Meta described the removal of the prime minister's video as a technical error and restored it after several hours.
Key facts
- Meta CEO
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Platforms
- Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp
- Apology over
- CSAM, deepfakes and operational errors
- Meta executive in talks
- Joel Kaplan (Chief Global Affairs Officer)
- Government counterpart
- IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MeitY officials
- Meetings held
- August 3 and August 5, New Delhi
- Legal dispute
- Meta's intermediary status under the Information Technology Act
- Related dispute
- Temporary removal of PM Modi's July 23 video, which Meta called a technical error
Quotes
Ashwini Vaishnaw
Information Technology Minister of India
“"It was made clear to them that they are not covered under the Intermediary definition. They select who receives the content. Safe harbour under the IT Act not applicable,"”
thehansindia.com
“"Meta admitted that a lot of money was paid for boosting certain types of content. They apologised and regretted the mistake,"”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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