Zuckerberg apologises hours after govt warning
New Delhi: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised for the presence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and operational lapses on the company's platforms, sources said on Wednesday after a high-level meeting between Meta executives and government officials.
Sources said the government made it clear that Meta cannot claim protection as an 'intermediary' under the Information Technology Act if it selects who receives content, adding that the safe harbour provisions would not apply in such cases.
The remarks came after Meta's delegation, led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, met MeitY Secretary S Krishnan and explained the erroneous removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology had earlier sought an unconditional apology from Zuckerberg within three days, warning that failure to comply could result in withdrawal of legal immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act and treatment of the company as a publisher.
