India’s parliamentary committee on communications and information technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to apologise and take action over the temporary removal of a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning that the company could face legal consequences.
According to News18, citing Press Trust of India (PTI) sources on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the panel warned that Meta could risk losing its “safe harbour” protection if it fails to address accountability over the incident.
The committee said major social media platforms operating in India must comply with national laws governing online content, including regulations related to child sexual abuse material and crimes against women.
The controversy began after Meta temporarily removed a Facebook video posted by Modi on July 23, in which the prime minister addressed students and discussed concerns over examination paper leaks. The video was later restored by the company.
Meta said the removal was caused by an unintended technical error involving its artificial intelligence-based content moderation system. The company explained that automated tools mistakenly flagged the original post while reviewing related content.
Indian authorities, however, rejected the explanation as insufficient and demanded stronger safeguards from Meta to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said that even if the removal resulted from a technical failure, social media companies must improve their systems and ensure greater accountability for content moderation decisions.
The parliamentary committee, chaired by BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey, described the incident as serious, arguing that the removal involved content from a democratically elected leader and raised wider questions about platform responsibility.
According to PTI sources, the panel also questioned aspects of related complaints and investigations, including issues involving law enforcement procedures and accountability of social media platforms.
The committee warned that companies including Google, YouTube, X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat must ensure compliance with Indian laws and take responsibility for harmful or unlawful content appearing on their platforms.
The dispute reflects growing global tensions between governments and technology companies over artificial intelligence moderation systems, political content and the role of digital platforms in regulating online speech.
Meta has not publicly announced whether Zuckerberg or other senior company officials will respond to the parliamentary panel’s demand.
