New Delhi, August 6 (ANI): Meta’s technical team is scheduled to meet officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Friday as the government’s discussions with the company over compliance-related issues continue, government sources told ANI.
Meta’s global team is expected to remain in India for several more days, with three to four additional meetings likely to take place, the sources said. They added that the upcoming discussions will also cover issues related to WhatsApp.
According to the sources, the primary focus of the meetings is to assess whether Meta’s platforms are complying with Indian laws.
Government sources said digital platforms operating in India cannot function solely under laws applicable in other jurisdictions and must comply with India’s legal framework.
“These are technical matters, and every aspect has to be understood,” the sources said, adding that the objective is to ensure the law is implemented for the benefit of society.
The sources said online platforms have a responsibility to society and must comply with the law like any other institution. They added that the government is not seeking to create a new regulatory body but is focused on enforcing the existing legal framework.
Referring to constitutional provisions, the sources said Article 19 provides for reasonable restrictions while balancing other constitutional rights, including those related to livelihood.
The discussions also come amid growing concerns over increasingly sophisticated deepfakes. Government sources said the quality of deepfake content has improved, making it more difficult to detect, and stressed the importance of maintaining public trust.
“Society works on trust, and that trust should be maintained,” the sources said.
Officials also said the government remains in regular contact with major digital platforms, including Meta, X, and Telegram, on compliance and other technical matters.
The ongoing engagement comes a day after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the Indian government over child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content, and operational lapses on the company’s platforms during discussions with government officials, according to sources. (ANI)
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