Indian Parliamentary Panel Summons Meta and Google Over Privacy

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has summoned representatives from Meta, Google, X, and Snapchat for a hearing on August 3, 2026. Chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, the panel will examine user privacy safeguards, algorithmic transparency, and public order obligations. Officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs are also required to provide briefings.

The summons follows a series of regulatory concerns and political events. The committee intends to investigate a technical glitch at Meta that temporarily restricted a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, the panel will scrutinize the role of digital platforms in mobilizing the 36-day protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party over the NEET-UG paper leak. Those protests, which heavily utilized Instagram for coordination, ultimately led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

During the proceedings, the panel aims to grill digital platforms on their broader regulation within India and how they ensure the government's public order. A primary focus will be the accountability of intermediaries in facilitating online mobilization and the protection of privacy for rural citizens, farmers, and laborers.