Mark Zuckerberg apologises to Indian govt over child porn on Facebook, removal of PM Modi's video

Meta Platform Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday apologised to the Centre over the availability of child sexual abuse material on Facebook and operational errors, according to reports.

The operational errors reportedly include removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video and promotion of deepfake content on Meta's social media platforms.

The central government informed Meta that it is not covered under 'Intermediary' definition as the social media platform selects who receives a particular content.

The Meta team acknowledged that a "lot of money" was paid for boosting certain type of content, as it apologised and regretted its mistakes. 

This comes hours after Parliamentary Standing Committee on Electronics and IT asked Zuckerberg to issue an unconditional apology within three days over the temporary removal of PM Modi's speech from Facebook and warned that Meta's safe-harbour immunity could be withdrawn under the IT Act.

Following this, Meta officials led by its Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan met MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan on Wednesday. During the 45-minute meeting, the Meta team explained how PM Modi's video was taken down erroneously.

The panel also called for stricter action against intermediary platforms that host child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content demeaning women.