Zuckerberg Apologises to India Over CSAM, Deepfakes and Indi’s PM Video Takedown

New Delhi: Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to the Indian government over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) found on the company’s platforms, deepfake videos, and broader operational mistakes, according to people familiar with talks held this week.

The apology was delivered through Joel Kaplan, Meta’s global head of public policy, who met officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in New Delhi on Wednesday. Government sources signalled that this would not be the final such engagement, with more meetings expected to follow. Kaplan’s delegation also held separate talks with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

One trigger for the summons was the temporary disappearance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first video message to young people, posted on Facebook on July 23. Meta pinned the removal on a technical glitch, but New Delhi wasn’t satisfied with that explanation alone, pressing for a complete account of what happened and a direct apology from Zuckerberg personally.

Curiously, the informal summary officials gave after the meeting made no specific mention of how the Modi video issue was addressed. Kaplan spoke to it separately, however, saying in a public statement that he had personally apologised to the Minister on the company’s behalf over the wrongful restriction of the Prime Minister’s post.

The Modi video incident wasn’t the only factor behind the summons. Officials have also grown increasingly concerned about Instagram’s role in amplifying coverage of the protests held at Jantar Mantar last month.

Perhaps the sharpest exchange centred on a legal question: government representatives told the Meta delegation that the company does not qualify as an intermediary under Indian law — a notable position, since intermediary status is what typically shields platforms from being held legally responsible for content their users post. Without that protection, Meta could potentially face liability for individual posts made on its platforms in India.

Officials also raised a BBC report that found Instagram had carried advertisements promoting CSAM, using the meeting to reprimand the company over the findings.