Kathmandu— The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has directed Meta to overhaul its algorithms and submit a formal compliance roadmap to curb the spread of deepfakes, propaganda, and other illegal content across its platforms. This directive follows a meeting between Meta's technical team and government officials in New Delhi, where authorities pushed for more robust detection and removal mechanisms for harmful and manipulated media.

Demands for Algorithmic Changes

During recent discussions, government officials pushed for specific algorithmic modifications designed to restrict the spread of propaganda and deepfakes. The ministry is seeking to strengthen the detection and removal of manipulated media to ensure platforms are more effective at managing harmful content.

In response to the government's scrutiny, Meta acknowledged existing gaps in its current systems. The company has outlined technical measures it could implement to better tackle deepfakes and other forms of synthetic content.

Strengthening Content Moderation

Beyond algorithmic changes, MeitY officials have instructed Meta to bolster its content moderation systems and act more swiftly on takedown requests from authorized government agencies. The government is also seeking closer coordination with the company to accelerate the identification of morphed images and misleading posts.

Additionally, the ministry has emphasized the necessity for Meta to comply with data localisation requirements. The government's ongoing engagement focuses on whether online platforms are meeting their legal responsibilities under Indian law regarding harmful and illegal content.

Regulatory Framework and Accountability

The government's intensified scrutiny comes as India tightens its regulatory framework for synthetically generated content. Earlier this year, the government amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules to include specific requirements for AI-generated content, including identification and labelling mandates.

This regulatory push follows previous concerns raised by the Indian government regarding Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and deepfake content. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously apologized for errors related to CSAM and deepfake content on the company's platforms.

Both Meta and the government have agreed to continue discussions, with another meeting expected to take place next week.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.