What happened: Meta apologises after removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s youth video message from Facebook
Meta officials discussed government concerns about content moderation and platform accountability with senior political figures. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company temporarily removed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first youth video message from Facebook. Meta attributed the takedown to an “error in operation.”
Government engagement sought fuller accounting of the operational error and requested a personal apology from Mark Zuckerberg. A Meta representative stated that Mark Zuckerberg apologised on Meta’s behalf.
The reported episode was also connected to wider scrutiny of Instagram’s role in amplifying protests.
Background and earlier position: intermediary safe-harbour and the liability boundary
Government officials stated a position on intermediary safe-harbour boundaries and platform accountability for user posts. Government officials stated that Meta is not covered under the intermediary definition, and government officials treated that boundary as important because intermediary coverage would otherwise increase legal liability for user posts.
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