New Delhi: An Indian parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology has issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, demanding an unqualified apology following the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Facebook.

The parliamentary panel warned that failure to issue the apology within the specified timeframe could result in the revocation of Meta's legal safe harbour protections under Section 79(3) of India's Information Technology Act, exposing the tech giant to liability as a publisher.

The directive was outlined in a official communication sent to the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) by A. Jyothirmayi, a director with the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The letter emphasised that the five-to-six-hour removal of the Prime Minister's video address—which covered examination controversies, anti-paper leak measures, and guidance for students and Gen Z—had been viewed with utmost seriousness.

"During the deliberations, the Committee demanded an apology from Mr Mark Zukerberg, Meta Chief on this issue. If he fails to tender an unqualified apology within 3 days of receipt of this letter, the protection/immunity given under Section 79(3) of IT Act may be withdrawn and action taken against him as a Publisher," said the letter signed by A Jyothirmayi.

Also read: Meta to add extra oversight for PM Modi posts after Facebook removal controversy

The escalation comes two days after the committee convened a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, MeitY, and major digital platforms—including Meta, Google, X, Snapchat, and YouTube—to review social media regulation.

Speaking after the session, panel chairperson Nishikant Dubey alleged that the incident reflected broader patterns rather than an isolated glitch.
"In 2024, Mark Zuckerberg had made objectionable comments on Parliamentary election results. Their mindset is to destabilise the country," he alleged, adding that tech platforms routinely disregard directives from government ministries.

Addressing the committee, Dubey dismissed Meta's explanation of a technical glitch, which MeitY had also deemed "inadequate." Although Meta apologised and restored the post—confirming it was removed "in error"—Dubey maintained that a simple systemic glitch was an unacceptable justification.
"Either there is a serious failure of the system or there is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of PM of our country on the part of Meta and Instagram. If this is the way Meta deals with the official post of the PM what to speak of the post of the common man of our country. Such a failure cannot be dismissed merely as a technical error," he said.
Strict mandates on illegal content and online fraud

Beyond the Meta dispute, the parliamentary panel called for immediate statutory action against platforms carrying child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or derogatory content targeted at women.
"If the intermediary platforms fail to remove CASM material from their portals, action should be taken under section 79(3) of IT Act," the letter said.

The committee also urged central government action against Google India’s executive leadership in light of cyber fraud cases involving fraudulent investment applications that led to investor losses exceeding ₹48 lakh.

"The Committee while discussing Hyderabad Cyber Police Action against the Google India Head as a co-accused along with the Cyber fraudsters after the complainants alleged that they lost more than Rs.48 lakhs by investing through fraud Apps, the Committee desired that similar action be taken against the Google India by the Government of India," the letter stated. (PTI)