Meta Apologises to India Over Brief Restriction of PM Modi’s Facebook Post
Meta Platforms has apologised to India’s government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook post was briefly restricted last month, adding another chapter to the growing tensions between the technology company and Indian authorities over content moderation.
Joel Kaplan, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, said on Wednesday that he had apologised to India’s Minister of Electronics and Information Technology on behalf of the company for the incident.
“I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post,” Kaplan said.
The apology follows a meeting between Meta executives and Indian government officials after the ministry summoned company representatives to explain why the Prime Minister’s post had been temporarily restricted. Meta previously said the content had been blocked because of an operational error before it was restored.
Content Moderation Row Deepens
The latest incident comes as Meta faces increased scrutiny in India over content related to Prime Minister Modi.
Last week, police in Hyderabad registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos posted on Facebook that allegedly depicted the Prime Minister in an abusive manner, according to Reuters.
The controversy unfolded as Modi confronted one of the largest waves of youth-led protests India has witnessed in more than a decade. The demonstrations were triggered by leaked national examination papers, an issue that ultimately led to the resignation of the country’s education minister. During the protests, social media platforms saw a surge in criticism, satire and commentary directed at the Prime Minister.
Zuckerberg Also Apologises Over Platform Issues
Separately, Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg apologised to the Indian government over the presence of child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and other operational shortcomings across the company’s platforms, according to local media reports.
The reported apology was made during a meeting between Meta executives and Indian government officials. Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reports.
Government Steps Up Scrutiny
In July, the Indian government directed Meta to remove advertisements and other content promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram, according to a BBC report cited by Reuters.
Meta said at the time that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards child sexual abuse material and continues to strengthen its detection and enforcement systems to identify and remove such content.
The latest developments highlight the increasingly close scrutiny facing global technology companies operating in India as authorities seek greater accountability over content moderation, platform safety and compliance with local regulations.
With inputs from Reuters