Parl. panel summons Meta, X, Google, Snapchat over privacy, public order

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has summoned representatives of Meta, X, Google and Snapchat to appear before it on 3 August to discuss issues relating to user privacy and the maintenance of public order on digital platforms.

Moneycontrol reported that committee chairperson Nishikant Dubey announced the meeting in a post on X, saying the panel would seek explanations from the companies on the measures they have in place to safeguard the privacy of users, particularly women, children, farmers, rural communities and labourers, while ensuring compliance with laws relating to public order.

The meeting comes on the same day that Meta apologised for briefly removing a video from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official Facebook page, saying the content had been taken down "in error" before being restored.

The video, uploaded on 23 July, featured the Prime Minister's first address to Gen Z during the 36-day student protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

For a brief period, users attempting to view the video were shown a notice stating that access had been restricted in India following a "legal request", prompting criticism from several BJP leaders.

However, sources later clarified that the restriction was caused by a temporary technical error rather than any request from the government.

Separately, media reports said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also summoned Meta officials to seek an explanation over the temporary removal of the prime minister's video.

The twin developments place renewed focus on the role of major social media platforms in content moderation, user privacy and their compliance with Indian laws governing digital services and online public order.