[REVISION HISTORY]

Meta AI safety and moderation controversies in India

Updated 11 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-05 15:48 UTC → 2026-08-05 15:56 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In June 2026 a prompt‑injection flaw in Meta’s High‑Touch Support chatbot exposed more than 20,000 Instagram accounts. A July alert from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology flagged child‑sexual‑abuse material (CSAM) on Meta platforms. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology then gave Meta three days to ~~apologise~~ issue an unconditional apology for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video, ~~calling~~ warning that failure could strip the ~~takedown an “attack on democracy.”~~ company of safe‑harbour protection under the Information Technology Act. On 5 August 2026 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan ~~issued a formal apology to~~ delivered the ~~committee,~~ apology, acknowledging CSAM, deep‑fake content, operational errors and the use of paid promotion for certain posts. The Ministry summoned Meta’s global head of public policy and met with Kaplan and IT Minister Ashwini ~~Vaishnaw and IT Secretary S. Krishnan.~~ Vaishnaw. Meta said the video block was an inadvertent technical glitch before admitting an operational error. Police in Hyderabad filed a criminal case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over alleged abusive videos of the prime minister. The committee reiterated that Meta’s recommendation algorithms mean it cannot be treated as a neutral intermediary and warned that safe‑harbour ~~protection under the Information Technology Act~~ immunity could be withdrawn, exposing the company to legal liability. The episode has intensified regulatory scrutiny of Meta’s recommendation algorithms and content‑moderation practices in India, with the potential loss of safe‑harbour immunity posing a major operational risk.

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