Parliament panel summons Meta, X, Google and Snapchat on August 3

MUMBAI: The social media giants are about to find themselves scrolling through some tough questions. India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has summoned representatives from Meta, X, Google and Snapchat to appear on 3 August, as lawmakers sharpen their focus on user privacy, platform accountability and issues affecting public order.

The hearing comes at a time of heightened regulatory scrutiny, following a controversy surrounding the temporary restriction of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Meta’s platforms.

The video briefly carried a notice stating that access had been restricted in India due to a “legal request”, triggering criticism from several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who questioned whether the content had been blocked at the government’s direction.

However, people familiar with the matter later clarified that the restriction resulted from a temporary technical glitch and was not linked to any government directive or legal request. The video was subsequently restored.

The episode has also drawn the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which, according to media reports, has separately summoned Meta executives to explain how the erroneous restriction occurred and the safeguards in place to prevent similar incidents.

While the parliamentary panel’s agenda extends well beyond the Modi video episode, the timing of the meeting highlights growing concerns over how global technology companies manage content moderation, user privacy and platform governance in one of their largest markets.

The committee is expected to examine the companies’ policies and operational practices, with discussions likely to cover algorithmic transparency, misinformation, AI-generated content, intermediary responsibility and public safety. Lawmakers are also expected to seek clarity on how platforms respond to content-related requests and ensure accuracy in their moderation systems.

The meeting forms part of a broader push by Indian policymakers to tighten oversight of large digital platforms as the country’s regulatory framework continues to evolve. With social media services playing an increasingly central role in public discourse, the proceedings are expected to contribute to wider debates on digital governance, platform accountability and the balance between free expression and responsible moderation.