Govt-Meta Talks: Centre Seeks Stronger Action Against Deepfakes, CSAM and AI Content

The Indian government has asked Meta to strengthen content moderation and address deepfakes, CSAM, bot accounts and unlabelled AI content.

Govt-Meta Talks Focus on Online Safety and AI Content

The Indian government has intensified its discussions with Meta over concerns surrounding harmful content and platform safety. After two days of detailed questioning, officials held technical discussions with Meta representatives on Friday to examine the company’s approach to deepfakes, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), bot accounts and AI-generated content that is not properly labelled.

According to sources cited in a PTI report, Meta explained how its content moderation and detection systems function and presented measures it plans to introduce to address the concerns raised by the government.

Officials have asked Meta to implement corrective measures and assess their effectiveness. Further meetings are expected as authorities continue monitoring the company's compliance and progress.

Government Seeks Stronger Content Moderation

A major issue raised during the discussions was the continued availability and rapid spread of harmful AI-generated content even after it has been reported or flagged.

Officials also questioned Meta about synthetic videos and other AI-created material that remain accessible without appropriate identification. Under India's information technology framework, platforms are expected to take steps to identify and manage certain forms of synthetic content.

The government has stressed the need for stronger moderation systems that can respond more effectively to harmful content before it spreads widely.

Greater Human Oversight and Indian Language Support

Officials also called for greater human involvement in Meta's moderation processes. The government believes automated systems alone may not be sufficient to understand the complexities of India's diverse digital environment.

Particular attention was given to the platform's ability to understand Indian languages, cultural references and local contexts. Better language and contextual understanding could help moderation teams identify harmful or misleading content more accurately.

Officials clarified that the discussions were aimed at ensuring compliance with Indian laws and improving online safety rather than imposing blanket censorship on social media platforms.

Meta Under Scrutiny Over Platform Safeguards

The technical discussions followed meetings involving IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, IT Secretary S Krishnan and Meta's global team led by Global Affairs Head Joel Kaplan.

During the broader discussions, officials raised questions about Meta's recommendation algorithms, safeguards for high-profile and verified accounts, possible algorithmic bias and the company's compliance with Indian regulations.

The government is particularly focused on whether existing safeguards are capable of preventing harmful content from gaining widespread visibility through recommendation systems.

Meta's AI Moderation Error Involving PM Modi's Post

Meta's moderation systems also came under scrutiny after a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was temporarily restricted.

The company subsequently apologised and attributed the incident to an error involving its AI-powered automated moderation system. The post had originally been shared on Instagram before appearing on Facebook and was later restored.

The incident added to questions about the reliability of automated moderation systems and their ability to distinguish legitimate political or public-interest content from material that violates platform rules.

Government Raises Questions Over Paid Content

Officials also questioned Meta about whether payments were accepted for promoting content that could potentially contribute to public disorder.

The government referred to Section 79 of the Information Technology Act while discussing intermediary responsibilities. Officials warned that failure to meet applicable obligations could affect the legal protections available to online platforms under India's safe-harbour framework.

The discussions underline the government's growing focus on the responsibilities of major social media companies operating in India.

Meta Faces CSAM-Related Concerns

Child safety was another major issue discussed during the meetings. The government had previously issued a notice to Meta regarding allegations of child sexual abuse material appearing in paid Instagram advertisements.

The latest discussions again highlighted the need for stronger safeguards to detect and prevent such material from appearing on Meta's platforms.

Meta has reportedly acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns and assured officials that it is working on corrective measures.

More Meetings Expected Next Week

The government is expected to continue monitoring Meta's response, with another meeting likely to take place next week.

Officials want the company to demonstrate measurable improvements in content moderation, AI-generated content detection, child safety and compliance with Indian information technology rules.

The ongoing discussions indicate that regulatory scrutiny of major social media platforms is becoming more focused on how artificial intelligence, automated moderation and recommendation systems affect online safety.

Conclusion

The government-Meta discussions are centred on improving digital safety while ensuring compliance with Indian law. Meta's ability to strengthen moderation, identify AI-generated content, protect children and improve its understanding of Indian languages will remain key areas of scrutiny in the coming weeks.