BJP and opposition clash at Indian parliamentary panel over Meta content moderation

Published Aug 8, 04:04 PM UTC

At a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, BJP and Opposition MPs clashed over Meta's content moderation practices. BJP MPs, led by panel chairperson Nishikant Dubey, demanded an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for temporarily restricting a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging a pattern of conduct aimed at destabilizing India. They also referenced Zuckerberg's earlier apology for incorrectly stating that Modi lost the 2024 election. The Opposition, including Congress MP Shafi Parambil, pushed back, arguing that content moderation should not be subject to political influence and that 'technology should be regulated, not democracy.' They cautioned against equating government criticism with anti-national content. The panel meeting was convened in the context of recent student protests, where Instagram played a key role in mobilization. Meta representatives were grilled on algorithmic bias and content moderation processes.