Apologise within 3 days, Parliament panel to Zuckerberg after Facebook briefly removes Modi video

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg must apologise within three days for Facebook temporarily removing a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ANI quoted the head of the parliamentary panel on information technology Nishikant Dubey as saying on Wednesday.

Meta is the parent organisation of social media platform Facebook.

“If he fails to do so, we will revoke the ‘safe harbour’ protection currently provided to his social media platforms, a privilege that they have been misusing,” the news agency quoted Dubey as saying.

He told reporters that the parliamentary standing committee had told the Union ministries of home affairs and information technology that removing Modi’s video “was not the responsibility of an intermediary but that of a publisher”.

“Therefore, Zuckerberg must apologise within three days,” Dubey added.

Considering the allegedly abusive language, and violent and objectionable content that is shared on the platforms, “a flood” of first information reports will get filed against the Meta chief in the country, he said.

The safe harbour provision under the Information Technology Act gives online intermediaries such as social media firms immunity from liability for content posted by a third party on their platforms, as long as they comply with the government’s directions. Removing the status would mean that the platforms would become liable for the content posted...

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