IT Ministry Asks Meta to Review Facebook, Instagram Recommendations

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an advisory to Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, asking it to ensure that its recommendation systems do not cause “disproportionate exposure of users to a single or limited set of narratives”, PTI reported. The advisory is dated October 10 and asks for action “with immediate effect”.

Context for Videos of Public Events

The ministry has asked Meta to add context to photos, videos and graphics of ongoing public events when their date, place or authenticity is unclear, and to review ranking systems so that misleading or out-of-context content is not repeatedly recommended. Meta must also cooperate with law enforcement agencies under the IT Rules, 2021, and report the action taken. Ministry sources said agency reports indicated the platforms were not promoting all narratives equally.

The advisory does not name any incident, but it comes amid protests in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party and opposition groups, which we have followed in our report on the NSUI march and our explainer on the CJP protests.

Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation said the advisory is not legally binding but amounts to a “continuing censorship directive”, and asked MeitY to withdraw it. The reports did not carry a response from Meta.

Based on reporting by The Tribune / PTI and Deccan Herald.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.