House panel invites X, Meta, Google to discuss cybercrimes, women’s safety

Representatives of the electronics and information technology ministry were expected to attend the meeting and likely coordinate between the companies and the committee

The parliamentary standing committee on women’s empowerment has invited social media companies X (formerly Twitter), Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), and Google (YouTube) to discuss cyber crimes and women’s safety on August 19.

The panel meets officials of the ministries and non-profit organisations but rarely engages with social media companies. (AP)

People aware of the matter said representatives of the electronics and information technology ministry were expected to attend the meeting and likely coordinate between the companies and the committee. The ministry refused to comment on the meeting.

The committee regularly meets officials of the ministries and non-profit organisations, but has rarely engaged directly with social media companies. The last such meeting was held in 2019 with WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and X representatives.

Two of the companies invited to the meeting remained non-committal, with one saying that no specific agenda or questions had been shared so far. “We do not know what the purpose of the meeting is, whether it will feed into a report or form the basis of a bill,” a representative of the third company said on condition of anonymity. The representative questioned the limited guest list, asking why only three companies were invited.

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube have the largest user bases in India. X is the fourth most-used platform globally.

In 2020, Facebook India’s then managing director, Ajit Mohan, refused to appear before the Delhi Assembly’s Peace and Harmony Committee in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, citing a lack of jurisdiction, and challenged the summons in the Supreme Court. Facebook was accused of enabling hate speech during the riots.