Meta no longer a simple intermediary, but a service provider: Report
"Service providers have many responsibilities. Meta must take on more onus after agreeing to be responsible for content on its platform," the agency cited sources as saying.
Government sources report that Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, can no longer be seen as a simple intermediary for online content. Instead, the platforms' algorithms amplify and decide what information users see, making the company a service provider with greater responsibilities. Just like any service provider, Meta must take more onus going forward, according to these sources.
The government believes Meta does not have legal immunity in this situation, but the final determination rests with the judiciary. The interpretation of law is the domain of the judiciary, they point out. However, Meta has committed to reporting child abuse content to Indian law enforcement agencies, a significant shift in its stance.
This move comes amid growing scrutiny of social media companies in India and globally over concerns such as online addiction, mental health harms, algorithmic bias, harmful content, and the role of recommendation systems in shaping user experiences.
Written by urgent.news from Economic Times Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
