India has asked Meta to review how Facebook and Instagram recommend content, citing concerns that their algorithms disproportionately promote certain narratives, amid protests over disputed voter rolls in New Delhi. The advisory from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) calls for changes to content-ranking systems to prevent misleading, manipulated, or out-of-context material from being repeatedly recommended to users, news agency PTI reported on Monday after reviewing the document which was issued on October 10. Meta has been asked to act immediately and inform the government of the steps taken. The advisory comes amid demonstrations by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a nationwide electoral-roll revision. Opposition groups allege that legitimate voters have been excluded and that the exercise benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission and BJP deny manipulating voter lists. The advisory does not identify any specific protest as the reason for its issuance. The document calls on Meta to prevent users from being disproportionately exposed to a “single or limited set of narratives” and ensure greater diversity of credible information. India’s IT Ministry has received reports from government agencies suggesting that Meta’s algorithms favor certain kinds of content, PTI reported, citing sources in the ministry.
The ministry has flagged videos, photographs, and graphics relating to public events, particularly police action and restrictions, being promoted without adequate context. It wants stronger checks on old or selectively edited visuals presented as current events and unverified claims about official measures.Meta has also been asked to identify potentially harmful content gaining significant reach more quickly and cooperate with authorized law-enforcement agencies under India’s information technology laws. The request follows a broader advisory issued to social media companies on October 8, directing them to prioritize complaints from government agencies and label misleading or manipulated content related to public events.Although the advisory is not legally binding, it amounts to a “continuing censorship directive,” Internet Freedom Foundation founder-director Apar Gupta said. He urged the government to withdraw it and Meta to disclose content removals or reductions in visibility carried out under its provisions.
The ministry maintains that the measures are intended to protect public order while respecting lawful expression.
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