Now Reading: Government examines if Meta’s recommendation system fits intermediary status
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Government examines if Meta’s recommendation system fits intermediary status
Government examines if Meta’s recommendation system fits intermediary status
The government is examining whether Meta's recommendation systems and paid content promotion disqualify it from legal protection as an intermediary under the IT Act, government sources said. The key issue is whether…
The Story in Brief
The government is examining whether Meta's recommendation systems and paid content promotion disqualify it from legal protection as an intermediary under the IT Act, government sources said. The key issue is whether a platform that actively decides what content users see becomes a publisher and loses safe harbour from liability for third-party content.
After two days of meetings this week, Meta's global affairs head Joel Kaplan met IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The government questioned Meta on deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, and AI-generated content without labels. Meta admitted serious issues and assured action. Officials will follow up, and another meeting is scheduled next week.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that Meta is a neutral platform ignores how its algorithms curate feeds and promote paid content, effectively choosing what users see. Critics calling this government action censorship miss the point: Section 79 of the IT Act already requires platforms to obey due diligence rules. The real test is whether Meta will finally label AI-generated content and take responsibility for harmful viral posts, or keep claiming it is just a pipe.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
