PM Modi Video Removal: Parliament Panel Warns Meta Of Losing Safe Harbour

The Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to apologise over the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 23 video and act against those responsible, or risk losing safe harbour protection.

The panel also warned that all major social media platforms—including Google, YouTube, X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat—must comply with Indian laws on Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and content linked to crimes against women.

The committee, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, described the brief removal of the Prime Minister's video as an "attack on democracy". The panel stated that the post represented not just the Prime Minister but the voice of 1.4 billion Indians. Dubey said, as per the sources, "If Facebook does not take action against those responsible in this matter, the Safe Harbour Clause will be removed. Mark Zuckerberg will have to apologise. Otherwise, a case may be filed."

The Restricted Selfie Video

PM Modi's July 23 post, which first appeared on Instagram and then on Facebook, was his first direct selfie video aimed at Gen Z. In the video, he promised strict action on paper leaks amid student protests led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Meta briefly restricted the Facebook version of the post before restoring it after a wave of widespread backlash. The company stated that its AI-driven content moderation system accidentally flagged and briefly removed the Prime Minister's original post while it was reviewing reposts and derivative clips of the original upload.

Demanding Global Accountability

Meta executives described the incident as a "technical glitch", but the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated that the explanation was "not reasonable" and demanded that the company strengthen its systems to prevent a repeat. In response, the Centre called in Meta's global executives to discuss content moderation accountability, signalling that the matter goes beyond its India operations.

The committee also questioned why law enforcement agencies in Telangana had not been given the necessary clearance to proceed. It sought clarity on "who filed an FIR against social media platforms", indicating that accountability should extend beyond Meta if needed, according to the sources.

Legal Scope of Power

As of August 2026, there are no specific provisions in the Information Technology Act, 2000, or the IT Rules that give a Parliamentary Committee the power to recommend stripping a platform of safe harbour protection.

Safe harbour immunity is governed by Section 79 of the IT Act, and loss of that protection for failing to meet due diligence obligations is set out under Rule 7 of the IT Rules, 2021. The Parliamentary Committee's power to make such advisory recommendations instead comes from constitutional oversight mandates and the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Parliament.