Meta Issues Apology to Indian Government After Removing Modi Video

A senior Meta executive has formally apologized to the Indian government after a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was mistakenly removed by Meta. This apology came following an unofficial warning from an Indian parliamentary panel that threatened action if no apology was issued. Meta representatives met with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to express regret over the incident. Although Meta attributed the removal to a technical error, the video was subsequently reinstated on the platform. Kathmandu, 20 Shrawan.

Last month, a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was temporarily taken down from Facebook, prompting a senior Meta executive to offer an apology on Wednesday. According to Hindustan Times, an Indian parliamentary panel had given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg a three-day deadline to apologize for the removal. Just hours after threatening penalties if the apology was not forthcoming, Meta officials presented their apologies.

In a meeting with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, senior global executives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, apologized, sources familiar with the matter revealed. Joel Kaplan, Meta’s Global Affairs Officer, was part of the delegation and also held a separate meeting with IT Secretary S. Krishnan.

Alongside the apology for removing Modi’s video, the parliamentary committee on information technology, led by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, also demanded action against intermediary platforms that host child sexual abuse and derogatory content against women. In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Modi addressed the youth of India, reaffirming the government’s commitment to strict action against data leaks and other violations, following a brief restriction imposed on his post. The Indian government alerted Meta to the issue, and although the content was removed by error, it was later restored.