Meta Says ‘Operational Error’ Led To Restriction Of PM Modi’s Facebook Post

The apology came during a meeting with Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after the Centre sought an explanation for the temporary restriction of the prime minister's July 23 post.

Meta apologised to the Centre on Wednesday over the "error restricting" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, calling it an operational mistake.

Source : PTI/Social Media

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Meta apologized for
• Government sought clarification on content moderation, preventing future incidents.
• Discussions addressed child abuse, deepfakes, and platform operational issues.
• Mark Zuckerberg separately apologized for broader platform issues.

Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan on Wednesday apologised to the Centre for the "error restricting" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, as the social media company sought to address concerns over the incident and wider issues related to content moderation.

Kaplan conveyed the apology during a meeting with Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, saying, "I apologised to the minister on behalf of Meta for the error restricting PM Modi's post." The company maintained that the temporary restriction on the prime minister's post last month resulted from an operational error, reported News 18. 

The meeting followed the Centre's decision to summon Meta's senior global executives to explain the temporary removal of PM Modi's Facebook post on July 23, in which he addressed students amid nationwide protests over examination paper leaks.

Centre Seeks Explanation Over Moderation Process

During the discussions, the government sought clarification on how Meta's content moderation systems flagged the prime minister's post and what measures the company would introduce to prevent similar incidents involving high-profile accounts in the future.

According to Meta, the brief restriction stemmed from an operational error rather than a deliberate moderation decision.

The meeting formed part of the Centre's broader engagement with the social media company over its content governance practices.

Talks Extend Beyond PM Modi's Facebook Post

The discussions also focused on concerns over child sexual abuse material (CSAM), AI-generated deepfakes and broader operational shortcomings on Meta's platforms.

Officials also raised questions about the company's efforts to detect and remove harmful content while strengthening safeguards against misuse.

Separately, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is learnt to have apologised to the Indian government over the presence of CSAM, deepfakes and operational shortcomings on the company's platforms during discussions with officials.