Government seeks explanation after Facebook briefly restricted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video post.
The Indian government has once again summoned senior Meta executives after Facebook briefly restricted a video post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Authorities have sought an explanation from the company, while Meta said it has introduced new protocols to prevent similar incidents involving prominent public figures' accounts.
According to S Krishnan, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the government has asked Meta to appear "at the highest level" to explain what happened. He did not specify which executives had been asked to attend. Krishnan added that Meta had informed Indian authorities about new safeguards for accounts belonging to prominent public figures.
The latest summons come just days after the government first sought an explanation from the US technology company, describing the temporary restriction of the Prime Minister's post as a serious matter. Earlier, the ministry had summoned senior Meta executives, including global officials, over the incident.
The controversy erupted after Modi's video message on nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak was first posted on Instagram and later shared on Facebook, where it was temporarily restricted before being restored.
Meta apologised for the incident, saying the content had been removed inadvertently due to a technical error. The company had not immediately responded to Reuters' latest request for comment.
Despite the brief restriction on Facebook, the video went viral on Instagram, surpassing 404 million views, according to the Indian government. The incident also drew criticism from leaders of the ruling BJP, who accused the platform of censoring the Prime Minister's message.
*banned and designated as extremist in Russia
Source: India Today
