Meta to meet govt after PM Modi video glitch; expresses regret
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Governance
Why in news
Meta has agreed to appear before the Indian government to clarify its policies and technical issues after a technical glitch affected a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sought explanations from Meta, and the company has expressed regret and introduced new protocols for prominent accounts.
Background
The incident involved a technical glitch on Meta's platform that impacted a video of Prime Minister Modi. The government has been examining content moderation and platform accountability issues, and has sought inputs from multiple messaging platforms.
Key facts
Meta agreed to meet the government to clarify policy and technical issues after a glitch affected PM Modi's Facebook video.
MeitY Secretary S Krishnan announced that Meta will send senior representatives to explain the issues.
Meta expressed regret in a letter to the government and explained its understanding of the reasons for the glitch.
Meta introduced new protocols on July 28 for handling accounts of prominent individuals to prevent recurrence.
The government is examining the matter and has sought views from several messaging platforms.
Meta's representatives are expected to appear within the next week or ten days.
The government wants to understand both policy and technical aspects and how Meta can address India's concerns.
Prelims pointers
- Meta: parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp
- MeitY: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Content moderation policies
- Platform accountability
- IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021
Mains angles
- GS2: Government policies and interventions for social media regulation
- GS2: Issues relating to IT and digital governance
- GS2: Role of social media platforms in democracy and accountability
- GS3: Cyber security and data protection