Parliamentary panel demands Zuckerberg’s apology over Modi’s Facebook video
Panel warns if Meta boss doesn’t apologise within three days, government will withdraw Safe Harbour Protection provided to platform
The Parliamentary committee on information technology, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to apologise for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video, or face legal action.
Risk to Safe Harbour protection
Also asking Facebook to take action against those responsible for the removal of the July 23 video, the panel said that failing to comply will lead to the removal of Meta's Safe Harbour protection under Section 79 and legal action.
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The safe harbour clause is a legal provision that protects individuals and businesses from legal action if they meet a specified set of conditions. Its removal will make Meta vulnerable to being booked.
Dubey said the removal of the prime minister’s July 23 video amounted to an “attack on democracy.”
"If Facebook does not take action against those responsible in this matter, the Safe Harbour Clause will be removed. Mark Zuckerberg will have to apologise. Otherwise, a case may be filed," he said.
Suspension of PM’s post
The post in question was Modi's first selfie-format video, targeted at Gen Z to assure them that stringent action will be taken against paper leaks amid widespread students’ protests across the country, including the one led by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi. The post was initially shared on Instagram. Its Facebook version, however, was briefly withdrawn by Meta. It was restored soon, with Meta calling the suspension a “technical glitch”.
Ministry asks Meta to tighten rules
Earlier this week, Meta officials expressed regret over the incident before the panel and stated they were ready to apologise.
The IT ministry, however, didn’t buy the explanation, stating that it was not satisfactory. The ministry asked the platform to ensure that such mistakes do not occur in the future.
At the committee’s meeting on August 3, Dubey said the removal of the prime minister's video from Facebook was either a serious failure of the system or there "is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the prime minister" on the part of Meta and Instagram.
He also said that if this is how Meta deals with the official post of the prime minister, then what can the common people of India expect. He stressed that this "failure cannot be dismissed merely as a technical error".
"They (Meta) themselves admitted that it (video) was taken down for five hours -- missing from 12:30 at night to 5:00 in the morning.
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"This is a very serious matter and an apology must come from Zuckerberg's side," Dubey said after the over three-hour meeting of the parliamentary panel during which the MPs questioned the Meta representatives.