The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has asked Meta to ensure that its recommendation systems do not result in showing only a single or limited set of narratives, but instead provide diverse information. This comes two days after the ministry sent an advisory to all social media companies asking them to give priority to government complaints about content that could affect public order.
The advisory, dated October 10, was sent only to Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook. It asked the company to move faster on spotting and escalating posts that are being amplified through its recommendations, leading to causing confusion, violence or public disorder. Unlike the October 8 advisory, which did not require companies to report back, this one asks Meta to act “with immediate effect” and “apprise the ministry of the measures undertaken”.
The Meta advisory, seen by HT, said, “It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) that certain content relating to ongoing public events and developments is being prominently displayed and recommended to users through the feeds/recommendation systems of platforms operated by Meta. Such content includes videos, images, statements and static graphics relating to public-order and law-and-order situations, which, when presented without adequate context or disproportionately amplified through recommendation mechanisms, may contribute to public confusion, apprehension and disturbance of public order and social tranquillity.”
Although a MeitY official had told HT earlier that the October 8 advisory was general in nature and just not only related to protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation, the Meta advisory was issued on a significant date for the protests. On October 10, the leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party were detained, the internet was shut down for 24 hours in a 4-km radius of Jantar Mantar and for 10 hours in eight areas where thousands of protesters were being detained throughout the day.
{{/usCountry}}Although a MeitY official had told HT earlier that the October 8 advisory was general in nature and just not only related to protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation, the Meta advisory was issued on a significant date for the protests. On October 10, the leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party were detained, the internet was shut down for 24 hours in a 4-km radius of Jantar Mantar and for 10 hours in eight areas where thousands of protesters were being detained throughout the day.
{{/usCountry}}To be sure, the October 10 advisory, like the October 8 one, does not name any protest or event. MeitY did not respond to HT’s request for a comment.
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What Meta has been asked to do
Beyond reminding the company of its due diligence obligations under Information Technology (IT) Act and Rules, the advisory lists six steps for Meta. First, the company has been asked to take “appropriate measures to identify and address”, in accordance with applicable law, content that falls within the categories prescribed under the IT Rules, including content that could cause public disorder or incite violence or other unlawful activity.
Second, Meta has been asked to review its recommendation and content-ranking mechanisms so that potentially misleading, manipulated or out-of-context content is not “disproportionately amplified or repeatedly recommended” to users. Third, the company should provide adequate context on photographs, videos, graphics and other content showing ongoing public events, especially where the authenticity, date, location or circumstances of the content may not be readily apparent to users.
Fourth, it should make sure recommendation systems do not expose users disproportionately to a single or limited set of narratives and “endeavour to provide appropriate diversity of relevant and credible information”. The advisory does not say how this diversity is to be measured or who will decide what counts as credible.
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Fifth, Meta has been asked to strengthen its mechanisms for rapid identification, review and escalation of content that is gaining significant reach through recommendation systems and could cause widespread public confusion, apprehension, violence or disturbance of public order. Sixth, it should cooperate in a timely manner with law-enforcement and other authorised government agencies, including by furnishing information or assistance in line with applicable law and within the timelines set by the IT Rules, 2021.
Apar Gupta, founder of digital rights advocacy Internet Freedom Foundation, said, “This advisory even though is not legally binding is a continuing censorship directive since the first Jantar Mantar protests in July after which Meta, specifically Instagram have been placed under government pressure. This is to ensure rather than a legal basis for takedowns a pro-active censorship mechanisms deployed by META so protests related accounts and posts are restricted without any government orders. Over the past two weeks IFF has serviced atleast 9-10 creators and journalists for account based restrictions that are being pro-actively done by META. Even this advisory which contains phrases like content “without adequate context” and periods of “heightened public-order sensitivity” are not tied to any provision of the IT Act or the IT rules. “This is primarily a negotiation place between a government ministry and the world’s largest social media company to settle the limits of free speech through a private correspondence. MeitY must withdraw this advisory forthwith, and Meta must publicly disclose every takedown and every act of downranking carried out under it.”
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Content MeitY wants Meta to watch
The government asked Meta to exercise “enhanced diligence”, like it asked other social media intermediaries in October 8 advisory, on content surfaced, recommended or amplified through its feed and recommendation systems, “particularly during periods of heightened public-order sensitivity”. It listed five kinds of content that need particular attention: Old, unrelated or selectively edited visuals presented as current events; unverified or misleading claims about the imposition of emergency, restrictions, police action or other official measures; audio-visual material on law-and-order situations without adequate context; content likely to incite violence or other unlawful activity; content that is being disproportionately amplified through recommendation mechanisms despite being potentially misleading or lacking adequate context.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.