India’s government plans to expand its investigation into social media companies, focusing on algorithmic practices and content moderation, amid Meta’s recent apology over a Prime Minister-related Facebook video.
The Indian government is preparing to widen its scrutiny of major social media companies after Meta apologised over the removal of a Facebook video linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Aaj Tak and other Indian media reports. Officials are now expected to call in additional platforms to examine whether they are meeting obligations under Indian law and whether they still qualify for intermediary protection.
The review is likely to focus on how platforms decide what users see, particularly where recommendation systems amplify content or paid promotion gives some material greater visibility. According to the reports, officials want to know whether such behaviour moves a company beyond the passive role usually associated with an intermediary and into territory that looks more like publishing, which could carry greater legal responsibility.
The latest move follows a meeting between Meta executives and Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. During that discussion, the government reportedly questioned whether the company promotes certain content in exchange for payment and whether that affects its status under the Information Technology Act. Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, is said to have issued a written apology, while chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has also acknowledged errors in some cases.
The legal backdrop is Section 79 of the IT Act, which gives platforms “safe harbour” protection if they comply with intermediary obligations. If authorities conclude that a company is not meeting those duties, that protection can be withdrawn. For India’s largest social media firms, the signal is clear: recommendation algorithms, monetisation and content moderation are increasingly being treated as regulatory issues, not just product decisions.
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