India gives Zuckerberg three days to apologise over Modi post block

The Indian Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to deliver a personal apology over the temporary blocking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook post. India Today reported on Wednesday that the committee, led by Nishikant Dubey, described the blocking of the prime minister’s post on 23 July as an attack on democracy aimed at the leader of a nation of approximately 1.4 billion people. In July, Meta briefly restricted access to a video posted by Modi addressing Indian students about a national exam paper leak. The company later restored the post, citing a technical error, and issued a formal apology. However, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology deemed the explanation unsatisfactory. Citing sources familiar with the matter, India Today reported that the committee warned Meta that if it fails to comply with the demand for an apology within three days, the government may consider revoking the platform’s safe harbour immunity for user-generated content. Such a step could potentially pave the way for criminal liability against Meta’s representatives in India. The Economic Times had earlier reported on Tuesday that the Indian government had summoned senior Meta executives to discuss the blocking incident and to seek explanations regarding the company’s measures to combat child pornography on its platforms. India had also previously sent a request for clarification to Meta on the issue.