From mint · Ravi Hari · · 1m 10s
Meta told to act on edited visuals amid SIR protests
Government advisory asks Meta to fix misleading content during Delhi protests.
In brief
Government advisory asks Meta to fix misleading content during Delhi protests. India's IT ministry ordered Meta to provide context for photos, videos and graphics showing public events during SIR protests to prevent misinformation and violence. Originally reported by mint.
Government advisory
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory dated October 10.
Meta asked to provide context
MeitY asked Meta to provide adequate context for photographs, videos, graphics and other content depicting ongoing public events.
Specific concerns
MeitY flagged content that presents old, unrelated or selectively edited visuals as current events and misleading claims about emergencies.
Algorithmic bias
MeitY reported Meta's algorithms favoring certain content over others, leading to disproportionate exposure to limited narratives.
Public order risks
Content without adequate context could cause public confusion, apprehension and disturbances of public order.
CJP protest demands
Cockroach Janta Party and opposition parties demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over SIR electoral roll revisions.
Digital rights group response
Apar Gupta of Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the advisory as censorship, urging MeitY to withdraw it and require Meta to disclose content takedowns.
The takeaway
India's IT ministry ordered Meta to provide context for photos, videos and graphics showing public events during SIR protests to prevent misinformation and violence.
