Zuckerberg Apologises to Centre Over Meta Content Concerns: Reports

New Delhi: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to the Indian government over concerns involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and alleged operational failures on the company’s platforms, national media reported on Wednesday.

The apology came days after Facebook briefly removed a post shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting scrutiny from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and a parliamentary panel.

According to reports by national media, Zuckerberg expressed regret over the handling of harmful content and alleged errors in Meta’s platform operations. The government had also raised concerns about algorithmic bias and the promotion of certain types of content. Meta reportedly acknowledged that significant amounts had been spent to boost particular content categories.

As per reports, earlier in the day, Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and his team met MeitY Secretary S Krishnan before holding discussions with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Government sources said Zuckerberg’s apology followed these meetings.

The Centre also raised concerns over the alleged presence of CSAM on Instagram. The issue gained attention after a BBC investigation found paid advertisements using terms such as “rape video” and “child video”, which allegedly redirected users to Telegram channels selling such material.

The controversy intensified after Facebook briefly removed a video posted by Modi highlighting government action against examination paper leaks. Meta later restored the post and attributed its removal to a technical error involving AI-powered automated content filters.

However, MeitY described the explanation as inadequate and said Meta should strengthen its systems to prevent similar incidents.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology subsequently summoned Meta officials and reportedly sought an apology from Zuckerberg. Government sources also questioned whether Meta’s role in selecting and amplifying content could affect its safe-harbour protection under the Information Technology Act.