India Orders Meta to Diversify Social Media Algorithms

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory to Meta on October 10, directing the company to overhaul the recommendation algorithms for Facebook and Instagram. The government ordered Meta to ensure its systems do not result in the disproportionate exposure of users to a limited set of narratives and to provide a greater diversity of credible information.

Officials flagged concerns that selectively edited or out-of-context visuals of public events were being amplified, which could incite violence or disrupt public order. While the advisory did not cite a specific trigger, it coincides with protests in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party and opposition groups demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Meta must implement these changes with immediate effect and cooperate with law enforcement under the IT Rules, 2021. Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the move as a continuing censorship directive, arguing that the advisory is not tied to any specific provision of the IT Act or the IT Rules.