Now Reading: Bombay HC orders Meta, Google, X to take down abusive posts against Gadkari
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Bombay HC orders Meta, Google, X to take down abusive posts against Gadkari
Bombay HC orders Meta, Google, X to take down abusive posts against Gadkari
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Meta, X, Google, and other platforms to take down defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake videos linking Union minister Nitin Gadkari to India's ethanol-blended petrol programme.…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Meta, X, Google, and other platforms to take down defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake videos linking Union minister Nitin Gadkari to India's ethanol-blended petrol programme. Justice Arif Doctor called the content "vile and abusive" and said it should have no place on public platforms.
Gadkari filed the suit citing 26 posts that falsely blamed him for the programme, which is actually administered by the Ministry of Petroleum. The posts also alleged his family received undue benefits. The minister is seeking Rs 11 crore in damages. The court suggested platforms develop a framework to remove such content without court intervention and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.
The Indian Opinion
Free speech warriors will call this censorship, but the court rightly asked why platforms need a court order each time to remove vile content. The real test will be in four weeks: will the companies develop that framework, or will they keep hiding behind safe harbour provisions while deepfakes and abuse thrive? The question isn't whether Gadkari can take a joke, but whether platforms will police themselves or wait for more court orders.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
