An Indian parliamentary committee on Wednesday called on Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to apologise over the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning that the company could face further scrutiny if it fails to do so.
The video, in which Modi addressed students during youth-led protests on July 23, was briefly removed from Facebook and Instagram before being restored. Meta said the removal resulted from a technical error.
Nishikant Dubey, chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology and a lawmaker from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the panel viewed the incident as more than a routine moderation error.
“Deleting the prime minister’s video was not the work of an intermediary, but that of a publisher,” Dubey told reporters, adding that Zuckerberg should apologise within three days.
Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan said he met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday and apologised on behalf of the company.
“I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi’s post,” Kaplan said in a statement.
Dubey said the parliamentary committee had written to the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, urging them to examine the matter. He also warned that Meta’s safe harbour protections could come under review if the company failed to address the issue.
Under Indian law, parliamentary standing committees can summon government officials and company executives for questioning and review public policy, but they do not have the authority to impose penalties or initiate legal action. Any regulatory measures would have to be taken by the government or the courts.