Meta tells parliamentary panel ready to apologise for error related to PM’s post, grilled on algorithmic bias
They also grilled Meta officials who appeared before the panel over the issue of algorithmic bias, saying objectionable content like porn is freely available on the platform while “genuine” content was removed.
Meta, the social media giant, informed a parliamentary committee on Monday that it is prepared to apologize for the temporary restriction imposed on a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook. A faction of committee members urged legal action and called for establishing accountability. Mark Zuckerberg expressed regret on behalf of Meta for "errors in operating the platform," according to sources.
During a meeting of the Department-Related Standing Committee on Information Technology, members highlighted that while Meta generates substantial revenue in India, it does not adhere to local laws, as per sources. They also subjected Meta officials to intense questioning regarding algorithmic bias, with panelists arguing that objectionable content like porn is freely accessible on the platform while "legitimate" content was removed.
When asked by an MP about the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video from the platform, the panelist inquired, "Who bears ultimate responsibility for this?" according to the sources.
The inquiry followed the government's summons to Meta's top executives in light of Prime Minister Modi's recent Facebook post, which addressed India's youth and promised stern action against paper leaks, only to be briefly restricted on the platform. Although the U.S.-based company attributed the incident to a technical glitch and offered an apology, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) deemed the explanation insufficient. Meta said the content was removed "in error" and subsequently restored on the platform.
At the meeting on Monday, the committee members questioned Meta's algorithmic capabilities in detecting deepfakes of Prime Minister Modi. Sources indicate that Meta officials expressed remorse over the incident and stated their readiness to offer an apology. However, a BJP MP argued that this matter extends beyond an apology. "Accountability must be established, and legal action should be taken," the member asserted.
The committee, led by BJP member Nishikant Dubey, convened to discuss the subject "Social and Digital Platforms and their Regulation," following the government's summons to Meta's global team. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan, and representatives from Snapchat, Google, X (formerly Twitter), Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram), and YouTube appeared before the committee.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
