3 weeks ago
Govt, Meta hold fresh talks on algorithms, content moderation
A big company called Meta owns popular apps like Facebook and Instagram.
The government of a country called India is talking with Meta about how these apps work.
The government wants to know how Meta decides which posts people see on their phones.
Leaders are worried about fake videos, computer-made pictures called deepfakes, and bad content meant to hurt children.
Meta admitted that there are serious problems and promised to keep working on fixing them.
The talks started because Meta accidentally hid a post from India's leader, Prime Minister Modi.
Meta said the hiding was a mistake made by its computer filters and said sorry.
Important people from Meta, like Joel Kaplan, are meeting Indian ministers in New Delhi to sort things out.
The meetings will keep happening for a few more days, including talks between technical experts.
The government says companies must follow Indian laws and warned that breaking them could remove special protections.
Meta's top global executives met Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for a second straight day on Thursday amid intensified government scrutiny over the temporary restriction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post.
Meta admitted there were 'serious issues' and assured the government it will take continuous action to tackle deepfakes, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), bot accounts and synthetic content.
The government questioned Meta on legal compliance, content-ranking algorithms and whether its safeguards meet India's constitutional and legal standards, saying the rule of law and the constitution are supreme.
The series of meetings is expected to last 3-4 days in all, with Meta's technical executives to engage with government technical teams next, possibly led by IT Secretary S. Krishnan.
Government officials read out Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, warning that non-compliance with intermediary obligations jeopardises Meta's safe harbour immunity, and said no separate social media regulator is being mulled for now.
- Who
- The Government of India, including Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, IT Secretary S. Krishnan and Parliamentary panel chairman Nishikant Dubey, and Meta, represented by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and a global delegation.
- What
- Fresh talks over Meta's recommendation algorithms, content moderation and compliance with Indian laws, following Meta's apology for temporarily restricting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post.
- Where
- New Delhi, India
- When
- Thursday, the second day of questioning; the meeting series is expected to last 3-4 days in all, and the restricted post incident occurred on July 23.
- Why
- India is stepping up oversight of social media platforms amid concerns over deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, bot accounts, algorithmic bias and Meta's compliance with local laws.
Government's Position
Meta's Position
Compliance with Indian laws
Government's Position
The government questions whether Meta actually operates within Indian law and asks if its safeguards meet the country's constitutional and legal standards, saying platforms cannot operate in India as per the US or European constitutions and that the rule of law and the constitution are supreme.
Meta's Position
Meta says it is compliant and 'working hard' to address concerns, admitting there are 'serious issues' and assuring continuous action on deepfakes, CSAM, bots and synthetic content.
Source of the apology
Government's Position
Government sources said the apology over the restricted Modi post came from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and a Parliamentary Standing Committee sought an apology from Zuckerberg, warning protections could be withdrawn within three days; chairman Nishikant Dubey called the apology a 'victory' for India's Constitution.
Meta's Position
Meta's Joel Kaplan said in a written statement that he 'apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi's post', and Meta attributed the removal to an error by AI-powered automated content filters.
Safe harbour protection and oversight approach
Government's Position
The government read out provisions of Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, warning that non-compliance with intermediary obligations jeopardises Meta's safe harbour immunity, and is examining whether Meta's role in selecting and amplifying content could affect those protections; it also served a notice last month over alleged CSAM in paid Instagram advertisements.
Meta's Position
Meta maintains it operates within Indian law and says it has mechanisms and parameters in place to deal with algorithmic issues, while the government is not mulling a separate social media regulator for now and prefers the existing constitutional framework.
Key facts
- Companies involved
- Meta and the Government of India
- Government ministry
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
- Key government officials
- Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; IT Secretary S. Krishnan; panel chairman Nishikant Dubey
- Meta officials
- Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and a global delegation
- Focus of talks
- Recommendation algorithms, content moderation and compliance with Indian laws
- Context
- Meta apologised for temporarily restricting PM Modi's July 23 Facebook post for about five hours, citing an error by AI-powered automated content filters
- Legal reference
- Section 79 of the Information Technology Act (safe harbour immunity for intermediaries)
- Location
- New Delhi, India
Quotes
Government sources
Anonymous Indian government officials
“Does Meta actually operate within the bounds of Indian law? We are talking to the company on its content-ranking algorithms, the robustness of its compliance architecture, and whether its safeguards meet the country’s constitutional and legal standards.”
financialexpress.com
“"serious issues"”
deccanchronicle.com
Joel Kaplan
Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer
“I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi's post”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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