Zuckerberg apologises to Indian government over Meta content issues

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to Indian government officials over content moderation issues affecting the company’s platforms, including the presence of child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and operational errors, local media reported.

The apology was reportedly delivered during a meeting between Meta executives and Indian government representatives. Meta has not publicly commented on the reports.

The meeting follows increased scrutiny from Indian authorities over content appearing on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. In July, the Indian government ordered Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram and requested an explanation from the company regarding how such material was allowed on the platform.

Meta has previously stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards child sexual abuse material and continues to improve its detection and removal systems.

The company has also faced criticism after Facebook temporarily restricted a post by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which Meta attributed to an operational error. Separately, police in Hyderabad registered a case involving Meta India’s leadership over allegedly abusive videos shared on Facebook.

India has recently introduced stricter rules for online platforms, including shorter deadlines for removing unlawful content reported by authorities or courts. Platforms that fail to comply risk losing legal protections for user-generated content.