Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to Indian government officials for the presence of child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and operational lapses on the company’s platforms, local television channels and financial news site Moneycontrol reported. The apology was reportedly delivered during a meeting between Meta executives and Indian government representatives on Tuesday.
What Happened
According to Moneycontrol, Zuckerberg acknowledged the appearance of unlawful content and said Meta would work to address operational errors that allowed such material to appear. Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram among other services, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Government Action and Meta's Response
In July the Indian government ordered Meta to remove advertisements and other content on Instagram that promoted child sexual abuse material, the BBC reported, citing a senior official at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The government also asked Meta to explain within seven days how such ads were permitted on the platform. At the time Meta told the BBC it has a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material and was strengthening its detection systems.
Related Incidents
Separately, India’s information and technology ministry summoned Meta executives after Facebook briefly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Meta said the restriction was inadvertent and caused by an operational error. Hyderabad police have also registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over videos posted on Facebook that allegedly depicted Modi in an abusive manner, a senior police officer said.
Regulatory Context
This year India has tightened rules governing online platforms, narrowing legal protections that shield companies from liability for user-generated content and increasing potential exposure for executives. Since February, platforms are required to remove unlawful content flagged by courts or the government within three hours, down from 36 hours, or risk losing that liability shield.
(Reporting by Shanima Aniyeri and Surbhi Misra; Editing by YP Rajesh and Mark Potter.)
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