Meta executives have apologized to India's government for restricting a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for handling of child sexual abuse material and other content violations on its platforms.
Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan apologized to India's information technology minister this week for the company's brief restriction of a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. Kaplan acknowledged the action was an operational error, according to a statement released on Wednesday. The incident had prompted India's IT ministry to summon Meta executives for an explanation at the time.
The restriction of Modi's post occurred amid significant youth-led protests in India, triggered by leaked examination papers that led to the resignation of the education minister. During this period, Modi faced considerable online criticism and ridicule from protesters. Police in Hyderabad separately registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos posted on Facebook that allegedly depicted the prime minister in an inappropriate manner.
Beyond the Modi post incident, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized during discussions with Indian government officials regarding broader platform issues. According to local media reports, Zuckerberg addressed concerns about child sexual abuse material, deepfake content, and operational shortcomings on Meta's platforms. In July, the Indian government had directed Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram. Meta responded by stating it maintains a zero-tolerance policy on such material and continues to enhance its detection systems.
These incidents reflect ongoing tensions between Meta and the Indian government over content moderation practices and the handling of sensitive material on the company's platforms. Meta did not provide additional comment beyond the apologies documented through government meetings and official statements.
