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Center Warning to Meta : The Central Government has issued a strong warning to Meta against allowing sexual exploitation material (CSAM) or other illegal content to minors on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has clarified that if platforms fail to take effective action on such objectionable content, the ‘safe harbour’ protection provided under Section 79 of the IT Act can be withdrawn. The government made it clear that social media companies will not be given legal protection if they fail to stop illegal and objectionable content. The Center has also given instructions to prepare a content moderation system keeping in mind the different languages, social conditions and cultural diversities of India. Apart from this, the need for clear labeling of content created with Artificial Intelligence (AI) or deepfake technology has also been emphasized to make it easily identifiable to users.

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The government said that freedom of expression is important, but every social media platform operating in India is mandated to follow the country’s local laws and regulations. The government has given a message to social media companies to take more responsibility in content moderation. Referring to the transparency arrangements recently implemented regarding the accounts of ‘X’ i.e. former Twitter, the government indicated that strict steps can be taken against the platforms that violate the rules. The Center says that along with technical features, social media companies will have to give top priority to the safety of users and compliance with Indian laws. Especially in the case of objectionable content to children and misleading content generated by AI, the responsibility of the platform becomes more important.