Govt seeks detailed explanation from Meta over temporary restriction of PM Modi's Facebook post
New Delhi, July 30
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked senior officials from Meta to appear before the government to explain the temporary restriction placed on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, with the meeting expected to take place within the next seven to 10 days.
Speaking on the matter, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said the government is seeking both a policy-level and technical explanation from the social media company to understand how the incident occurred.
"India intends to convey its concerns directly to Meta and obtain a comprehensive account of the circumstances that led to the brief restriction," he said.
"Meta has already conveyed its regret over the incident and provided a preliminary explanation to the government. However, the Centre has sought a more detailed clarification, including the measures the company is putting in place to ensure such incidents do not recur," Krishnan stated.
The latest move comes a day after the government summoned a senior Meta executive following the temporary restriction of the Prime Minister's Facebook post.
The post had addressed India's youth and reiterated the government's commitment to taking strict action against paper leaks.
Although Meta attributed the episode to a technical glitch and issued an apology, the government maintained that the explanation offered so far was insufficient and warranted further scrutiny.
In the video posted on 23 July, PM Modi sought to reassure students that his administration was taking firm action on NEET examination paper leaks.
According to Krishnan, Meta has informed the government that it introduced a new protocol from July 28 to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The updated process includes additional oversight for content published by the Prime Minister and other high-profile accounts, with the company aiming to strengthen safeguards against inadvertent restrictions.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I understand the government's concern, this seems politically motivated. Meta handles billions of posts daily—glitches happen. India should focus on internet freedom, not demanding explanations for every automated flag. Just saying.
PM's post about tackling paper leaks was spot on! ⭐ These tech companies need to respect Indian laws. If Meta can't guarantee fair treatment of our leaders' content, they shouldn't operate here. Good on MeitY for summoning them!
Interesting how India reacts to a minor glitch on a PM's post, but doesn't seem to care when opposition voices get muted regularly. Should be consistent—transparency for all, not just the powerful. That's true democracy.
As a software engineer, I can tell you "technical glitch" is often code for algorithmic bias or human error. Meta owes India a proper audit. PM Modi's voice represents 1.4 billion people—can't have it arbitrarily suppressed. Fair criticism is welcome, but this was just wrong.
Honestly, I think both sides need to chill. Meta should be more careful with high-profile accounts, but calling for a full-scale investigation over a 3-hour glitch is a bit much. Let's not create unnecessary bureaucracy that slows down everything. 🙄
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