Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has written to the ministries of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and home affairs (MHA), reiterating its demand that Meta chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg apologise within three days over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook Reel, committee chairperson Nishikant Dubey said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Dubey said the panel had conveyed its position to the two ministries after its meeting earlier this week with representatives of Meta and other technology companies.
“The Parliamentary Committee... has written to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs, stating that deleting the Prime Minister's video was not the role of an intermediary but of a publisher. Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg must issue an apology within three days. If he fails to do so, the safe harbour protection granted to Meta will be withdrawn,” Dubey said.
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The latest remarks build on the committee’s stance taken during Monday’s meeting, where Dubey first demanded an apology from Zuckerberg, arguing that the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s video reflected conduct beyond that of a neutral intermediary.
Why Zuckerberg is in soup
{{/usCountry}}The latest remarks build on the committee’s stance taken during Monday’s meeting, where Dubey first demanded an apology from Zuckerberg, arguing that the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s video reflected conduct beyond that of a neutral intermediary.
Why Zuckerberg is in soup
{{/usCountry}}The controversy stems from Meta’s brief removal of a Facebook Reel posted by PM Modi on July 23, in which he addressed nationwide protests over the NEET-UG paper leak and announced measures including a proposed law providing for fast-track courts and stricter punishment for those involved in exam paper leaks. The video was unavailable on the platform on July 28 for around five hours before being restored.
During Monday’s parliamentary committee meeting, a Meta executive apologised for the incident, attributing it to an algorithmic error, according to people present at the meeting. The executive also assured lawmakers that the company would modify its systems to prevent a recurrence.
The issue has also prompted government scrutiny. Senior global executives from Meta are expected to meet officials from MeitY on Wednesday and Thursday. The ministry has said the talks will extend beyond the Prime Minister’s video and include compliance with Indian laws, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), synthetically generated content, and safeguards for verified accounts.
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Warning to Meta
Dubey has repeatedly warned that Meta could lose the safe harbour protection available to intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology (IT) Act if Zuckerberg does not apologise. Section 79 grants intermediaries immunity from liability for third-party content hosted on their platforms, subject to compliance with due diligence requirements and lawful government directions.
However, legal experts have pointed out that safe harbour is a statutory protection whose applicability is ultimately determined by courts based on compliance with the law, rather than being withdrawn through an executive decision alone.
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Meta did not respond to a request for comment.