India Orders Meta to Revamp Algorithms and Combat Deepfakes

The Government of India has ordered Meta to revamp its algorithms and provide a compliance roadmap to combat deepfakes, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and unlabeled synthetic content across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The regulatory crackdown followed a series of high-level meetings in New Delhi triggered by Meta's temporary restriction of a Facebook Reel posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 28.

During multi-day talks with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Meta executives, led by Global Affairs Head Joel Kaplan, apologized for the restriction, attributing it to an automated system error. Meta admitted to facing serious issues with bot activity and harmful AI-generated content. In response, the government demanded a human-in-the-loop review process to prevent verified accounts from being wrongly flagged and insisted that Meta align its moderation practices with Indian law rather than relying on global policies.

Central to the dispute is Meta's legal status under the Information Technology Act. Indian officials are currently reviewing whether Meta's use of recommendation algorithms to curate content disqualifies it from safe harbor protections under Section 79. If the government determines that this curation constitutes publishing, Meta could lose its intermediary status and face direct liability for third-party content under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The government indicated it may extend this regulatory examination to other major digital platforms operating in India.