Centre seeks Meta's action on deepfakes, awaits legal opinion on further steps
The Indian government is pressuring Meta to address deepfakes and unlabelled synthetic content on its platforms while reviewing whether the company complies with local intermediary laws. Officials are considering whether Meta's control over content algorithms effectively makes them a publisher, which would increase their legal liability.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between global tech platforms and national governments regarding content moderation, AI safety, and legal accountability.
Centre has asked Meta to take action against deepfake content, while it examines whether the social media giant is complying with intermediary provisions under Indian law, sources told PTI.A legal opinion on further action is expected after the government reviews the outcome of its meetings with the company.Centre is likely to seek responses from other social media platforms as it examines whether they meet the definition of intermediaries under the country's law, sources said.Sources also said that if Meta and other social media platforms exercise control over what content is shown to users, their role could be viewed as akin to 'publishing', making them responsible for the content and actions on their platforms.The development comes a day after the government held technical discussions with the social media giant, during which Meta outlined its plans to address the Centre’s concerns over deepfakes, child sexual abuse material and unlabelled synthetically generated content…
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