Meta restores two Kerala CMO Facebook posts after government intervention
Quick Look
- Meta restored two official posts on the Kerala Chief Minister's Office Facebook page after the CMO raised concerns about arbitrary removal of government communications, including Onam festival allowance announcements and Nabi Day greetings.
- The CMO sought a formal explanation from Meta and India's Union IT Ministry and requested safeguards for official handles.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Kerala Chief Minister's Office reported that two official posts were removed from its Facebook page, prompting intervention and restoration by Meta.
Synopsis
Meta has restored two official posts on the Kerala CMO's Facebook page. These posts announced Onam festival allowance and Nabi Day greetings. The Kerala Chief Minister expressed concern over the arbitrary removal of government communications. The CMO sought a formal explanation from Meta and the Union IT Ministry. They also requested safeguards to protect official government communication handles.
Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said Meta has restored two official posts that were removed from the CMO Keralam Facebook page following his office's intervention.
The posts related to the announcement of the Onam festival allowance for ASHA workers and greetings on the occasion of Nabi Day.
"Following strong intervention from the Keralam CMO, @Meta has restored the official posts arbitrarily removed from @CMOKeralam's Facebook page," the chief minister said in a post on 'X'.
"While the content is back online, the arbitrary takedown of verified government communications ranging from festival greetings to welfare notices remains a serious concern," Satheesan said.
The post said its Secretary Rattan U Kelkar, IAS, had taken up the matter with Meta and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
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The office has sought a formal explanation under the IT Act, clarity on whether the posts were removed through automated or manual action, and safeguards to protect official government communication handles, it said.
Earlier on Saturday, the CMO had written to Meta and the Union IT Ministry over the removal of the two posts and sought their restoration and an explanation for the action.
In a letter sent by Kelkar, the Union IT Ministry was also requested to intervene and ensure that such removals do not occur, according to the CMO.
Open Questions
- Whether the post removals were automated or manual actions
- What specific safeguards will be implemented to prevent future removals
- If Meta will face penalties under India's IT Act for the removals
