India's parliamentary panel chair gave Meta 10 days to explain why PM Modi's video was taken down, threatening to strip its Section 79 safe harbor if Zuckerberg doesn't apologize.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg should personally apologize for the temporary removal of a Facebook video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or the company could lose its legal protection from content liability, a senior Indian lawmaker said Monday.
Nishikant Dubey, who chairs the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology, spoke after a more than three-hour hearing with Meta representatives. The company acknowledged the video was unavailable for about five hours, from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m., Dubey told reporters.
"They themselves admitted that it was taken down for five hours. This is a very serious matter and an apology must come from Zuckerberg's side," he said.
The committee gave Meta 10 days to submit a written explanation. Dubey warned that if Zuckerberg didn't issue a personal apology, the government should withdraw the company's safe harbor protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. That provision has long shielded social media platforms from being held legally responsible for content posted by users, as long as they follow certain obligations.
Removing that shield would expose Meta to lawsuits and government action over virtually any content that remains on its Indian platform, ranging from defamation to national security complaints. The provision is foundational for how every global platform operates in India's internet economy.
Dubey didn't stop at the takedown incident. He accused Meta of a broader pattern of conduct, telling reporters, "This is not the first time Meta India has done this... Their mindset is to destabilise the country." He cited remarks Zuckerberg made after the 2024 election results and alleged the company had failed to comply with directions from the home ministry and the ministry of electronics and information technology.
Committee members pressed Meta officials on algorithmic bias, questioning why content related to child sexual abuse and crimes against women remained on the platform while the prime minister's video was removed, according to reports from the meeting. Some sought clarity on who inside Meta made the takedown decision. Others asked how the company's systems detect deepfakes involving Modi. One panel member said if "a video of the prime minister is not safe," accountability must be fixed.
Meta representatives expressed regret before the committee, according to PTI. The company had previously attributed the removal to a technical error, saying the content was taken down inadvertently and later restored. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology called that explanation inadequate.
The meeting also included opposition MPs who pushed back against the tone of the discussion. They argued social media platforms must continue to allow dissent and cautioned against treating criticism of the government as anti-national.
Beyond Meta, the hearing brought together Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan, and representatives from Google, X, YouTube and Snapchat. The session was part of a broader committee review of social and digital media regulation.
The 10-day deadline means Meta's written response is due by early June. If the government moves to revoke Section 79 protection, it would likely face legal challenges from the company and could test India's broader framework for intermediary liability.
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