Centre to raise CSEAM and PM Modi Facebook post issues with Meta
IT Secretary S Krishnan said the government will discuss Meta's handling of CSEAM, AI-generated content, and account restrictions during an upcoming meeting.
Quick Look
The Centre will raise concerns with Meta's global team regarding CSEAM handling, account restrictions, and AI-generated content following the brief removal of PM Modi's Facebook post.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Meta has faced regulatory scrutiny over CSEAM in paid advertisements, and the government previously issued notices regarding algorithmic bias and content restrictions.
NEW DELHI: The Centre will raise a range of concerns with Meta's global team during its meeting in India on August 5 and 6, including the platform's handling of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM), the temporary restriction of prominent verified accounts, and the spread of AI-generated content, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Tuesday.
Meta has been under regulatory scrutiny over Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, and the government had earlier issued a notice to the company over the issue. The move comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post addressing students' concerns over paper leaks was removed briefly.
"There are a range of issues... the CSAM issue was raised, so what measures have been taken regarding that, and synthetically generated information ... to what extent that is being looked at. Then, of course, for prominent personalities, when they have verified accounts, if content has to be taken down, there have to be safeguards... all of these will be the issues," Krishnan told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of an independent multimodal AI evaluation platform by AI4Bharat at IIT Madras and Josh Talks AI.
He said the government wants to understand why Meta's systems have failed in these instances and what challenges the company is facing. "We would like to understand from them (Meta) as to why some of these things have not been working the way they are supposed to work, and what are the challenges," Krishnan said.
The IT secretary added that as one of the world's leading technology companies, Meta should have the technological capability to address such issues effectively. The government had earlier summoned Meta India officials and later sought an explanation from the company's global team over the temporary restriction on the Prime Minister's post. The Centre has also accused the social media giant of displaying algorithmic bias.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Centre and Meta global team meeting on August 5 and 6
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What specific changes will Meta implement after the meeting?
- Will the government take punitive action against Meta?
