IYC Protests Outside Delhi Hotel, Demands Meta's Apology For Users' Account Takedowns

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Thursday staged a protest outside a luxury hotel in central Delhi where senior Meta executives were staying, demanding that the US tech giant apologise to users whose accounts were blocked, suspended or taken down.

Holding banners and placards reading, "You deleted the voice of citizens but found your voice to apologise to PM", the protesters raised slogans accusing Meta of suppressing student voices and critical content on its platforms.

The demonstration, held outside the hotel on Motilal Nehru Marg, came a day after Meta apologised to the Centre over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post.

Addressing the protesters, IYC leaders alleged that Meta had acted selectively by apologising to the Prime Minister while failing to explain the suspension or removal of accounts and content belonging to ordinary users.

"If Meta could apologise within hours after action was taken against the Prime Minister's account, it must also explain why thousands of ordinary Indians continue to face arbitrary account suspensions and content takedowns without transparency or accountability. Every citizen deserves the same respect, not just those in power," IYC member Karan Chourasia said.

On Wednesday, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan apologised to Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw for the "error restricting" Prime Minister Modi's post during a meeting with senior government officials.

Kaplan, who served in the administration of George W Bush, including as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, before joining Meta (then Facebook) in 2011, was summoned by the Indian government to explain temporarily removing Modi's July 23 Facebook post, in which he addressed students and promised stringent action against examination paper leaks.

The temporary restriction of Modi's post had snowballed into a major political controversy in the country, with the government summoning global executives of the firm that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and a parliamentary committee seeking an apology from Zuckerberg within three days.

The IYC demanded that Meta ensure transparency and equal treatment for all users while taking action on accounts and content.