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

Safe harbour under the IT Act gives tech firms general immunity for users' posts; the panel also named Google India, seeking similar action against the tech firm for financial frauds

Updated - August 05, 2026 03:26 pm IST - NEW DELHI

By Nistula Hebbar and Aroon Deep

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been given a three-day ultimatum by a parliamentary standing committee on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) to issue an apology for Facebook taking down Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video. The panel warned that the company's legal immunity could be revoked if he fails to comply.

According to a letter from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology — headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Nishikant Dubey — has sought the withdrawal of Instagram's safe harbour following the company's erroneous blocking of PM Modi's July 23 video message amid youth protests at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in the country.

The removal has drawn the government's ire, with senior officials demanding an exhaustive explanation from Meta and an apology from its founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The committee also cited the BBC's reporting on child sex abuse material (CSAM) advertisements on Instagram and demanded action against intermediary platforms that carry CSAM and demeaning material against women.

Action Against Google India

Similarly, the Committee had also demanded that Google India's safe harbour be lifted, thereby leaving the firm liable to individual users' posts as a publisher. The letter, seen by The Hindu, cited cyber crime complaints in Hyderabad where complainants lost over ₹48 lakh due to cyber frauds from apps downloaded from Google Play, where Google's India country manager was named as a co-accused.

The letter was addressed to IT Secretary S. Krishnan, and copied to Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The IT Ministry and Meta did not have an immediate response to a query on the letter when contacted by The Hindu. Google declined to comment.

"During the deliberations, the Committee demanded an apology from Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Chief on this issue," the Committee wrote in the letter. "If he fails to tender an unqualified apology within 3 days of receipt of this letter, the protection/immunity given under Section 79(3) of IT Act may be withdrawn and action taken against him as a Publisher."

Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 states that "an intermediary shall not be liable for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by" them, subject to certain conditions. The IT Rules, 2021 further govern these provisions.