Indian parliamentary panel demands Meta CEO Zuckerberg apologize within 72 hours or face safe harbor revocation

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting in the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., March 26, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Tensions are escalating between Meta Platforms and Indian regulators after the company faced two separate controversies in quick succession.

The Dispute

Meta briefly restricted a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing students during the Gen Z protests in July, just days after regulators summoned the company over concerns about child-abuse content. While Meta later said the restriction was due to an "error," the post initially indicated the content was blocked due to a "legal request."

Parliamentary Panel Demands

A parliamentary panel on Wednesday demanded an apology from Mark Zuckerberg within three days for the restriction on Modi's post. If the demand is not met, the panel recommends revoking Meta's safe harbor immunity in India, which would make the company liable for user-generated content on its platforms.

Key Market at Stake

India is a critical market for Meta, hosting the largest user bases for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. Legal experts told CNBC that it would become almost impossible for Meta to operate in the country if safe harbor protection is withdrawn.

However, experts noted that India would need to amend its broader legal framework to remove the safe harbor rights of the platform.

Meta's Response

Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, met with India's Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday. In a press statement, the company said Kaplan "apologized" to the minister "for the error restricting PM Modi's post."

Local media reports the same day, quoting government sources, claimed that it was Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg who apologized for the presence of child abuse content, deepfake material, and errors in operating the platform. Meta did not comment on the authenticity of these claims in the official statement shared with CNBC.

Apology Demands

In an interview with ANI on Wednesday, Nishikant Dubey, chair of the parliamentary panel on communications and information technology, wrote to India's information technology and home ministry, demanding an apology from Zuckerberg himself.

"Zuckerberg must apologize within three days" for deleting Modi's video addressing students, Dubey said, accusing the platform of misusing the privilege of safe harbor protection. He added that if the protection is revoked, "there could be a nationwide flood" of formal police complaints against Meta.

Broader Context

During the Gen Z protests in India last month, Instagram became a popular platform for public discourse in the country. Modi began creating reels to appeal to young protesters.

Meta's growing influence in India is also exposing the U.S. company to intense government scrutiny over lapses in content moderation and user privacy concerns. The Indian government last month issued a stern warning to Instagram to remove child abuse ads on its platform, following a warning to WhatsApp over the rollout of a username feature.

Meta's global team will remain in India to conduct "three to four" additional meetings.