Apologize Or Face Action: Parl Panel Gives Zuckerberg 3 Days Ultimatum Over PM Video Removal

NEW DELHI, Aug 5: The Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to apologise for the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July 23 video from Facebook and take action against those responsible, sources said.

The committee, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, warned that failure to comply with the ultimatum could prompt the Government of India to consider revoking Facebook’s Safe Harbour protection, potentially exposing the platform’s officials to direct criminal prosecution.

The panel termed the removal of the Prime Minister’s video an “attack on democracy”, arguing that the action targeted the elected representative of 1.4 billion Indians.

The committee is examining the circumstances surrounding the temporary removal of the video and the platform’s content moderation processes. It has sought accountability from Meta over the incident and asked the company to take appropriate action against those found responsible.

The development comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms in India over content moderation, transparency and compliance with domestic laws. Safe Harbour protection provides intermediaries with legal protection from liability for third-party content, subject to compliance with prescribed due diligence requirements. (Agencies)