India has intensified its scrutiny of Meta, demanding clearer labelling of synthetic media, stricter moderation, and measures to prevent the spread of AI-generated harmful content, following disputes over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media posts.
India’s government has widened its scrutiny of Meta from a dispute over a temporarily restricted post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a broader technical examination of how the company handles deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, bot accounts and unlabeled AI-generated content. After two days of questioning, officials moved the talks into a more operational phase on Friday, pressing Meta to spell out how it will prevent harmful synthetic content from spreading on Facebook and Instagram.
The latest round of discussions centred on whether Meta’s systems can stop AI-generated material from remaining visible or going viral even after it has been flagged. Officials also challenged the company over unlabeled synthetic videos, saying Indian rules require such material to be clearly identified. According to people familiar with the talks, the government wants Meta to implement specific fixes, report back on results and accept continued monitoring.
Indian officials also sought stronger human oversight of moderation, particularly for content in Indian languages and with local cultural context. That point reflects a wider concern that automated systems can miss nuance in a large, multilingual market where harmful material can spread quickly. Meta, in turn, outlined how its moderation systems work and described measures it says can be used against deepfakes, child sexual abuse material and fake accounts.
The exchange follows a week of unusually direct pressure from New Delhi. On Wednesday and Thursday, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior officials questioned Meta’s global affairs chief Joel Kaplan and other company representatives on recommendation algorithms, safeguards and compliance with Indian law. Officials also asked whether Meta accepts payment to promote content that could contribute to public disorder, and warned that failing to meet intermediary obligations could put the company’s safe-harbour protection under section 79 of the Information Technology Act at risk.
The row intensified after Meta temporarily restricted a Facebook post by Modi that had first appeared on Instagram as a selfie video. Meta later restored the post and said the removal was caused by an error in AI-driven automated filters. The company apologised, while a parliamentary committee also sought an apology from chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and suggested Meta’s legal protections could be reviewed if none was offered within days.
The government’s latest concerns are not limited to the Modi episode. In July, it issued a notice to Meta over Instagram advertisements alleged to promote child sexual exploitation and abuse material. Meta has said it has made major progress in tackling such abuse on its platforms, reporting in July that between October and December 2025 it removed 13 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content from Facebook and Instagram, with more than 96% detected proactively. Still, Indian authorities are now pressing for broader accountability as AI-generated abuse, deceptive bot activity and unlabeled synthetic media become harder to police at scale.
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