Meta not yet on Sahyog portal: SG Mehta

The disclosure was made in written submissions filed during proceedings in X’s legal challenge against the portal

New Delhi: Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, has not yet been onboarded onto the government’s Sahyog portal, solicitor general Tushar Mehta disclosed in written submissions to the Karnataka high court, making it the second major tech company after X to remain outside the ambit of the platform that facilitates the process of sending takedown notices to intermediaries.

Meta not yet on Sahyog portal: SG Mehta

The disclosure was made in written submissions filed during proceedings in X’s legal challenge against the portal, which the social media platform calls a “censorship portal” that bypasses legal safeguards under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

According to the SG’s submissions, seen by HT, 38 intermediaries have joined the portal, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Telegram, Apple, ShareChat, Snapchat, LinkedIn and YouTube. The list notably excludes Meta and its subsidiaries.

However, the government indicated that Meta’s integration is imminent. “Meta Inc. representing Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is getting API based Integration with Sahyog to enable real-time action. The process of API Integration is in the advanced stage,” the submission stated.

A person familiar with the matter said testing for the API-based integration — APIs function as interfaces that allow two systems to communicate and exchange data seamlessly — with the portal is underway. The integration involves connecting Meta’s backend systems with the portal and is encountering technical glitches that the company’s team is working to resolve.

The person cited above said Meta will comply with the notices issued through the Sahyog Portal and cooperate with the government as required. A senior home ministry official confirmed that the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which has developed the Sahyog portal, “is working on it.”

The portal sends real-time takedown notices to digital platforms and has become a central flashpoint in X’s ongoing legal battle with the government.

In 2024, according to Meta’s Content Restrictions Based on Local Law report, the company restricted access to 14,100 content items in India in response to directions from the ministry of electronics and information technology, the ministry of information and broadcasting and I4C.

The government maintains that the portal is necessary to respond swiftly to national security and public order threats. In court arguments, the SG pointed to algorithmic curation practices of tech platforms as justification for government oversight. X argues portal creates unconstitutional parallel blocking mechanisms that allow thousands of government officials to issue takedown orders without proper oversight, violating constitutional principles including separation of powers.