Kathmandu— On Wednesday, a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, met with S Krishnan, the Secretary of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to explain why a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi was mistakenly removed from Facebook. The meeting came after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology demanded an unqualified apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the incident.

Explanation for Takedown

During the 45-minute meeting, Meta officials provided reasons behind the erroneous removal of Prime Minister Modi’s video. The committee had earlier expressed serious concern about the five to six-hour absence of the PM's content on Facebook and directed Zuckerberg to apologize within three days or face legal consequences under Section 79(3) of India’s IT Act.

Committee Demands Action

The Parliamentary Standing Committee also took a strong stance against intermediary platforms carrying Child Sexual Abuse Material (CASM) and content demeaning to women. It warned that failure to remove such material could result in the withdrawal of legal immunity under Section 79(3). Additionally, the committee urged stern action against Google India following an investment fraud case involving fake apps.

Meta officials are scheduled to meet IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw later on Wednesday. The meeting is part of ongoing efforts by Indian authorities to regulate social media platforms and ensure accountability.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.