Meta must follow Indian law, not just global policies: Centre

MUMBAI: Meta’s global rulebook may not be enough for India. The Centre has told the company that its platforms must comply with Indian law rather than rely solely on global content policies, according to ANI.

The clarification follows several meetings between Meta’s technical teams and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with officials seeking concrete changes to the company’s systems rather than assurances alone.

Government sources also pushed back against reports that the Centre had directed Meta to completely overhaul its algorithms. The focus, they said, is on ensuring that Meta’s content policies, platform guidelines and moderation mechanisms are aligned with Indian law.

According to ANI, officials have also raised concerns that Meta’s global moderation teams may not always fully understand India’s linguistic and cultural context. The government is seeking greater local input, particularly when dealing with Indian languages and culturally sensitive content.

The latest discussions took place on Friday, when Meta’s technical team explained its existing systems for identifying and handling harmful content online. Further technical discussions are expected next week.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has emerged as one of the government’s most serious concerns. Officials have maintained a zero-tolerance approach and told Meta that such material cannot be allowed to remain on its platforms, ANI reported.

The Centre is seeking stronger and more proactive safeguards, with officials emphasising the need for demonstrable action rather than commitments alone.

Deepfakes involving prominent personalities are another area under scrutiny. The government has raised concerns that content posted through authorised or verified accounts could be incorrectly classified as synthetic or manipulated content.

Officials have therefore called for a human-in-the-loop mechanism in sensitive cases, arguing that automated systems should not always have the final say when determining whether content is a deepfake.

The government has also questioned how Meta prevents synthetic content that has already been identified and removed from returning to its platforms.

Meta’s recommendation and virality systems are also under examination.

Officials have questioned why users are frequently served content that does not match their stated interests and whether the company’s recommendation systems are amplifying synthetic material, according to ANI.

The Centre wants Meta to ensure that content flagged as problematic is not subsequently promoted through recommendations or repeatedly resurfaced.

The issue had previously been raised during meetings involving Meta’s global team, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior ministry officials, where the company was questioned about its algorithms and compliance with Indian regulations.

The government has stressed that the objective is not to demand a wholesale redesign of Meta’s technology. Instead, it wants the company to demonstrate how its existing systems can operate within India’s legal and regulatory framework.

The discussions also touch on Meta’s compliance with intermediary obligations, including the conditions governing safe-harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.

The Centre has previously examined whether Meta’s role in deciding which content users see could have implications for its status and obligations as an intermediary.

The latest talks are consequently moving beyond broad policy commitments towards the technical functioning of Meta’s platforms, including how content is detected, moderated, recommended and removed in India.

For Meta, the challenge is therefore not simply to make its global policies work locally, but to demonstrate that its systems can account for India’s laws, languages and cultural nuances. With another round of talks expected next week, the government appears to be looking for implementation, not just explanations.