India asks Meta to align content policies with local laws
The government has asked Meta to bring its content policies and enforcement mechanisms in line with Indian laws and the country’s cultural context, while clarifying that it has not asked the company to remake its algorithms.
The request comes as discussions between the government and Meta are set to continue, with attention on stronger safeguards against harmful content, better regulatory compliance, and more transparency in how the platform moderates and recommends content, according to an NDTV Profit report.
A major focus of the government’s concerns is deepfake content. Reports said authorities have asked Meta to introduce a "human-in-the-loop" review mechanism for suspected deepfakes so that takedown decisions are not made only by automated systems. The government’s position, according to the report, is that human oversight is needed to reduce erroneous moderation actions and improve accountability.
The government has also told Meta that content posted by prominent verified accounts should not be automatically labeled as deepfakes. Instead, such material should be subject to human review before any enforcement action is taken, reports said.
Authorities have further asked Meta to adopt measures to prevent removed deepfake content from reappearing or continuing to spread through repeat uploads.
Another issue raised with the company is child sexual abuse material. The government has reiterated a zero-tolerance position on CSAM and stressed that there can be no compromise in detecting, removing, and taking action against such content. According to the report, the matter remains a top priority in the government’s engagement with Meta.
At the same time, officials are also seeking more clarity on how Meta’s algorithms work, especially how content is surfaced, ranked, and recommended to users. The government is understood to be pushing for greater transparency around the systems that shape content visibility and user engagement across the platform.