[REVISION HISTORY]

Meta safety and moderation controversies in India

Updated 21 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-18 11:49 UTC → 2026-09-03 05:41 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In June 2026, a prompt-injection flaw in Meta’s High-Touch Support chatbot exposed over 20,000 Instagram accounts. By July, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology flagged child-sexual-abuse material (CSAM) on Meta platforms. Tensions escalated after an AI-driven moderation error temporarily removed a Facebook video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 July 2026. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by Nishikant Dubey, issued a three-day ultimatum for an unconditional apology, warning that failure could result in the withdrawal of Meta’s safe-harbour protections under the Information Technology Act. On 5 August 2026, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan met with officials to deliver an apology, attributing the video removal to a technical error. During these hearings, Meta acknowledged the presence of CSAM and deep-fake content on its platforms. Concurrently, Hyderabad police filed a criminal case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas regarding abusive videos of the prime minister. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also intervened, reporting over 50 complaints of child sexual exploitation on Instagram and directing police chiefs in several states to register FIRs. On 7 August, the parliamentary committee reiterated its demand for an apology, maintaining that Meta’s recommendation algorithms could classify the company as a publisher rather than a neutral intermediary, risking its legal immunity. ~~In a broader legal development, the~~ Legal scrutiny intensified in late August and September. The Supreme Court of India ~~has begun~~ is probing ~~social media reporting practices. A petition alleges~~ allegations that platforms ~~may be bypassing~~ bypass Indian law enforcement by reporting CSAM to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children instead of following mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court has requested ~~government counter-affidavits,~~ counter-affidavits from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Law and Justice, with ~~further hearings~~ a hearing scheduled for 24 September.

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