Meta apologises to India for restricting PM Modi's post

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has informed the Indian government that Meta could lose its "safe harbour" protection if CEO Mark Zuckerberg fails to apologise within three days for temporarily removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook reel. The committee wrote to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stating that deleting the Prime Minister's video was the role of a publisher, not an intermediary.

Safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act shields intermediaries, like Meta-owned Facebook, from legal liability for third-party content on their platforms, provided they meet due diligence requirements and comply with government directions. This protection is only available when intermediaries remove unlawful content within 36 hours after receiving a court order, government direction or actual knowledge of illegal material.

If Meta loses its safe harbour protection, it may face significant legal risks in India. The parliamentary committee warned that this could lead to FIRs being registered directly against Meta officials, and the Centre would clear the way for such action. Legal experts said this step could change how online platforms are treated under the law, potentially holding them responsible for misinformation, hate speech, manipulated media or defamatory posts shared by users.