New Delhi: Government plans to question Meta’s global team over possible algorithmic bias and the company’s role in maintaining public order on Facebook
and Instagram. The meeting is expected around the middle of next week, according to government sources.
The fresh scrutiny follows Facebook’s temporary restriction of a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meta later restored the post, expressed regret and described the action as an error. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology found the company’s initial explanation inadequate and sought a detailed response from senior executives.
Government seeks clarity on how Meta algorithms work
Officials are expected to ask how Meta’s systems select, restrict and recommend political content. The discussion may cover human review, automated moderation and the safeguards used for accounts belonging to elected leaders and other public figures.
Meta has reportedly introduced extra checks for posts from the Prime Minister and select prominent accounts after the restriction row. These checks are expected to involve more levels of internal review by senior company officials.
Meta to appear before parliamentary panel
Meta representatives are set to appear before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology. The panel has summoned Meta, Google, X and Snapchat for an August 3 meeting on the regulation of social and digital platforms.
The government is likely to seek answers on:
- How political posts are reviewed
- Whether automated systems show any bias
- How incorrect restrictions are reversed
- What platforms do during public protests
- How accountability is fixed when rules are breached
A government source said to PTI, “Keeping all these aspects in mind, steps that are needed will be taken.”
Meta faces separate police case in Hyderabad
The questioning comes as Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police investigate allegedly morphed and objectionable Facebook and Instagram posts targeting PM Modi. Police have named Meta India head Arun Srinivas and operators of certain accounts in two cases. Meta had not publicly responded to the police action at the time of the latest reports.
The developments place renewed focus on how global platforms moderate political speech in India, one of Meta’s biggest user markets.
(With inputs from PTI)
