The Indian government has stepped up its oversight of Meta after a meeting between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the company’s global leadership. The discussion followed the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video, which Meta later said was caused by a technical error.
During the meeting, officials stressed that digital platforms operating in India must follow Indian laws and meet their social responsibilities. They clarified that companies cannot rely on foreign legal standards while serving Indian users. Additionally, the government stated that it does not intend to create a distinct regulator for social media companies.
The talks covered platform accountability, deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, content moderation and algorithmic systems. Meta apologised for the mistaken removal of the Prime Minister’s video and explained the issue to officials.
MeitY has also proposed changes to the IT Rules to address AI-generated misinformation. The draft requires platforms to remove unlawful AI-generated content within three hours of a valid government or court order instead of the current 36-hour limit. It also proposes mandatory labels for AI-generated content, faster grievance handling and stricter action against deepfakes and impersonation. Public feedback will be reviewed before the rules are finalised.