- Meta must comply with Indian laws alongside its global policies, government sources said
- Government did not direct Meta to completely overhaul its algorithm, sources clarified
- Meta needs better local input on Indian languages and cultural nuances for content moderation
Meta Platforms must adhere to Indian laws on top of global policies, as the latter does not override the former, news agency ANI reported on Sunday, citing government sources.
Further, the sources said that it would be factually inaccurate to say that the government had "directed Meta to completely overhaul its algorithm."
The core intent of recent discourses with Meta is to ensure the platform's guidelines and content policies are fully aligned with Indian law amid other concerns, according to sources from Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Notably, a primary point of contention between the government and meta seems to be lack of cultural understanding from the company's side.
Sources told ANI that India's cultural context is often not fully understood by teams based outside the country, and that Meta needs greater local input including a stronger grasp of Indian languages and cultural nuance to moderate content effectively.
Addressing issues related to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), government sources were unequivocal, stating there is zero tolerance and zero compromise on such content.
Allowing such material to remain on the platform amounts to a serious violation of rules, they said, adding that Meta must adopt stronger, more proactive measures, with concrete action expected rather than assurances alone.
The government has also nudged Meta to tighten its grip around deepfake content that keeps cropping up. Referring to deepfakes involving prominent personalities, sources said content posted from authorised or verified handles should not be misidentified as deepfakes.
They underscored that such sensitive cases cannot be left entirely to automated detection systems, and called for a "human-in-the-loop" mechanism to ensure proper review before any takedown action.
The centre also sought clarity on Meta's algorithms, questioning that why users are frequently shown content unrelated to their stated interests. The clarifications came after a meeting on Friday between Meta's technical team and officials from Meity.
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