New Delhi: The Union government has warned Meta that it will not enjoy legal protection if it violates Indian rules, particularly in cases involving content that sexually depicts children. The caution was conveyed during a series of discussions with Meta’s global team, according to sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Officials said the talks covered measures to curb child sexual content, monitoring of social media posts, and Meta’s internal decision-making processes, including the role of algorithms. The government noted that Meta has taken some steps after the consultations.
The ministry sources stressed that content oversight systems must be designed with India’s linguistic and cultural diversity in mind, and should not rely only on global templates. They added that regulation is not aimed at suppressing opinions, but at ensuring platforms comply with Indian law and reducing potential harm to society.
The government is also examining WhatsApp’s proposed “username” messaging feature that could allow communication without sharing a phone number. Officials flagged concerns that it may increase impersonation, online fraud and so-called “digital arrest” scams, and said the issue is being reviewed as a broader policy matter since similar features could appear in other messaging apps.
In addition, the government said content generated using artificial intelligence should carry clear labels so users can distinguish between real and AI-created posts.
