Meta’s platforms must operate in accordance with Indian laws and regulations, government sources said on Sunday, stressing that recent discussions with the social media company were focused on aligning its content moderation practices with the country’s legal framework rather than simply following its global policies.
Sources said it would be factually incorrect to claim that the government had asked Meta to completely overhaul its recommendation algorithms. Instead, the discussions have focused on ensuring that Meta’s content policies, enforcement systems and platform governance adequately reflect Indian legal requirements.
Focus on India’s languages and culture
One of the key concerns raised by the government was what officials described as the limited understanding of India’s cultural and linguistic diversity among teams based outside the country.
Officials said Meta needs greater local expertise, including a stronger understanding of Indian languages and cultural nuances, to make content moderation more effective and accurate.
The government also took a firm position on Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), stressing that there can be no tolerance for such content on digital platforms.
Sources said the presence of CSAM is a serious violation of applicable rules and that Meta is expected to put in place stronger and more proactive safeguards to identify and remove such material. Officials stressed that concrete action, rather than assurances, would be required.
Human review sought for deepfake decisions
Deepfake content was another key issue discussed during the engagement. Government sources said content posted by authorised or verified accounts should not be wrongly labelled as deepfakes by automated systems.
Given the sensitivity of such cases, officials called for a “human-in-the-loop” review process so that content can be examined properly before a removal decision is taken.
The government also raised concerns over synthetically generated content that returns to the platform after being identified and removed as a deepfake. Sources said Meta has been asked to explain what steps it is taking to prevent such content from reappearing or being redistributed after removal.
The discussions are part of the government’s broader engagement with social media platforms to ensure that their policies, moderation practices and platform systems comply with India’s laws and take into account the country’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
(With IANS inputs)
