'Technical glitch' isn't enough: MeitY summons Meta over removal of PM Modi's Facebook post

The Centre has summoned Meta after a Facebook post from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's verified account was briefly taken down, signalling that the government's concerns go well beyond the company's apology.

Speaking to ANI, Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said Meta's claim that the removal was caused by a "technical glitch" does not fully explain what happened and cannot be accepted at face value.

The post, a late-night video message in which the Prime Minister promised tougher action against examination paper leaks and announced plans for stricter legislation, briefly became unavailable on Facebook before being restored. Meta later acknowledged the error, saying the content had been removed inadvertently and apologised for the incident.

But the apology has not closed the matter.

Krishnan described the removal of content from the Prime Minister's verified account as "extremely disturbing" and said such an incident should never have occurred.

While welcoming Meta's unconditional apology, he said the ministry wants a detailed technical explanation of how an authorised post from one of the country's highest constitutional offices could disappear from the platform.

According to Krishnan, MeitY has sought additional information from Meta and plans to hold a technical meeting with the company to determine what caused the removal.

The ministry also wants assurances that verified accounts of prominent public figures will be protected against erroneous takedowns triggered by algorithms or other technical failures.

"We will follow this up to ensure there are systemic corrections so that such incidents do not recur," he said.

Krishnan also confirmed that the ministry is examining responses from WhatsApp and other platforms regarding the proposed introduction of username-based identities.

He said the government has received explanations from the companies and is reviewing them before deciding on the next course of action.

The back-to-back engagements underline the government's growing scrutiny of major technology platforms, particularly on issues involving content moderation, platform accountability and user safeguards.

(With inputs from ANI)