India parliamentary IT panel demands Meta apologize for Modi video removal or lose safe harbour immunity

Published Aug 5, 09:56 AM UTC

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, led by BJP's Nishikant Dubey, has issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologize for Facebook's removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 23 video message. The committee warned that failure to comply could result in the revocation of Meta's safe harbour immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act, which protects intermediaries from liability for user posts. The panel also demanded similar action against Google India, citing cyber fraud complaints in Hyderabad where victims lost over ₹48 lakh from apps downloaded via Google Play, naming Google's India country manager as a co-accused. Additionally, the committee cited BBC reporting on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) advertisements on Instagram and demanded action against platforms hosting CSAM and demeaning content against women. The IT Ministry and Meta had no immediate comment; Google declined to comment.