India's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, demanding a personal apology over the temporary removal of a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook.
The panel has also demanded stern action against those responsible for taking down the content. Led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, the committee described the deletion of the video as an "attack on democracy" directed at the elected leader of 1.4 billion people. Sources indicated that if Meta fails to comply within the three-day window, the Indian government may consider revoking the social media giant's Safe Harbour protection, a legal immunity that currently shields platform executives from direct criminal prosecution and police complaints. The dispute centres on a selfie-style video published on July 23, which marked Modi's first direct address in that format. In the message, the Prime Minister promised firm measures against examination paper leaks amidst widespread student demonstrations led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party.
Although originally posted on Instagram and then shared to Facebook, Meta temporarily restricted access to the Facebook post before restoring it after facing strong criticism. Meta representatives previously appeared before the parliamentary panel to express regret, attributing the removal to an algorithmic error. However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology dismissed the explanation as inadequate, maintaining that a major technology firm ought to have robust systems in place to prevent such lapses. The brief removal of the post had been noticed almost immediately by BJP politicians and digital commentators, who raised the matter with Meta and demanded answers.
Beyond the dispute over the Prime Minister's post, the parliamentary panel issued a broader directive to major digital platforms — including Google, YouTube, X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat —ordering the removal of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) and derogatory content targeting women within three days, warning of strict action for non-compliance. The mounting pressure on technology firms coincides with police in Telangana registering separate criminal cases against both Meta and Google. The charges against Google involve the hosting of fraudulent financial applications, while Meta faces an investigation over the circulation of a fake video depicting the Prime Minister.
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