Meta apologizes to Modi
Picture: Reuters
Meta has apologized to the Indian government after a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was temporarily blocked on Facebook in India. According to sources familiar with the matter, the company said the video was removed because of a technical error.
A Meta spokesperson said in a statement, “The content was removed by mistake. It has since been restored.”
According to the sources, the Indian government is treating the matter seriously. Meta’s explanation and the circumstances under which the video was removed are being reviewed.
The sources also said that Meta representatives and the officials concerned may be summoned to explain the incident.
News agency IANS reported that India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has summoned the global heads of Meta and Instagram over the temporary blocking of Prime Minister Modi’s Facebook video.
What Modi Said in the Video
In the video uploaded on July 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Generation Z in the context of the student movement organized by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
In his remarks, he said the government would announce stricter measures to prevent examination paper leaks. He assured students that, along with introducing stricter legal provisions to prevent question paper leaks, a related proposal would be placed before the Union Cabinet.
Modi also said that instructions had been issued to establish fast track courts. He said a draft law providing for strict punishment and special courts in cases involving examination paper leaks would be presented for Cabinet approval before being introduced in Parliament.
He also said that the government’s measures had ensured that the academic year of nearly 2.2 million students would not be disrupted. At the same time, he emphasized, “There is nothing more important than the welfare and future of our young people.”
Before the video was restored, users in India were shown a message stating that the video had been withheld in that region in response to a legal request.
Before it was temporarily restricted on Facebook, the video had been viewed millions of times.
Source: NDTV (Adapted)
