Meta’s Safe Harbour Under Threat As Parliamentary Panel Seeks Zuckerberg’s Apology

Meta’s regulatory scrutiny in India has intensified after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology sought an “unqualified apology” from CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video. 

The committee has also warned that Meta’s safe harbour protection under the Information Technology Act could be reconsidered. 

In a communication to MeitY, the parliamentary panel raised concerns over the removal of the video featuring PM Modi addressing students on examination controversies and paper leaks, according to ANI. 

The video remained unavailable on Facebook for nearly five to six hours before being restored by Meta.

Speaking to reporters, parliamentary panel chairperson and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the committee informed MeitY and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that removing the Prime Minister’s video was beyond the role of an intermediary and amounted to acting as a publisher.

Dubey said Zuckerberg must issue an apology within three days, failing which the committee would consider recommending the withdrawal of the safe harbour protection available to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. 

The issue was discussed during a meeting on August 3 (Monday), attended by officials from MeitY, MHA and representatives from major digital platforms, including Meta, Google, X, Snapchat and YouTube. The meeting focused on social media regulation, content moderation, and online safety.

Meta acknowledged before the committee that PM Modi’s video remained unavailable for several hours. The company had earlier attributed the incident to a technical error and restored access to the post. 

Child Safety Concerns Add To Meta’s Regulatory Challenges

Separately, the parliamentary panel directed digital platforms to take immediate action against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content targeting women, warning that repeated failures to remove such content could also invite action against their intermediary protections. 

This comes as the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) continues its inquiry into allegations that advertisements linked to child sexual exploitative and abuse material appeared on Meta-owned platforms. 

The child rights body issued a notice to Meta Platforms on July 3 after taking suo motu cognisance of a BBC Eye report on the matter. Meta submitted its response a week later, following which the NCPCR decided to examine the allegations.

The development comes alongside a separate probe initiated by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which directed the Delhi Police to investigate allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted CSAM and examine whether Meta and other entities complied with reporting obligations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The developments add to mounting regulatory scrutiny of Meta’s platforms in India over content moderation, automated enforcement systems, child safety measures, and accountability mechanisms.

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