Govt, Meta to continue talks on content moderation policies after PM Modi reel row

The Union government and Meta are set to continue talks on content moderation policies, algorithms, and compliance mechanisms over the next three to four days, following the temporary takedown of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook reel, which raised concerns within the government. Meta's chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan apologized to Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday for the post becoming inaccessible for around five hours on July 28.

Meta provided a technical explanation of how Modi's Reel was mistakenly taken down, attributing the issue to incorrect algorithm matching. The government expressed satisfaction with Meta's explanation of the technical error, emphasizing the need for sufficient checks and balances to ensure compliance with Indian laws. While Meta did not respond to requests for comment, officials stated that Kaplan is unlikely to participate in the technical discussions, with future meetings potentially called as needed.

The WhatsApp usernames issue, which Meta plans to roll out globally by the end of the year, was not discussed during the meeting but could be addressed in the coming days. The government previously raised concerns about the potential increase in impersonation, fraud, cybercrime, and the difficulty for law enforcement to identify users via usernames.

The discussions come after unease within the government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the action on Modi's post, which occurred days following a student protest in New Delhi that led to the resignation of former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.