META ROW: Apology not enough, govt indicates to strip safe harbour status?

Tensions between New Delhi and social media platform, Meta, are reaching a boiling point following the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video addressing examination paper leaks. Although Meta attributed the incident to an automated content moderation glitch and tendered an apology, Indian authorities remain unconvinced. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology dismissed the explanation as inadequate, signalling that standard corporate apologies will no longer resolve the issue. 

Sources indicate that the government is unwilling to let the matter die down and is preparing a severe legislative response. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT has issued a strict three-day ultimatum demanding an unqualified personal apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Beyond leadership accountability, the panel plans to officially summon and intensively grill Meta’s senior global and domestic executives in India. 

The regulatory stakes are exceptionally high. The parliamentary panel warned that non-compliance could prompt the government to revoke Meta’s safe harbour legal immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act. Revoking this protection would classify Meta as a publisher, exposing the tech giant to direct liabilities across its largest global user market.