New Delhi: The Centre has asked Meta to review how content is promoted on Facebook and Instagram, raising concerns that the platforms’ recommendation systems could expose users repeatedly to a narrow range of narratives instead of offering a wider mix of relevant and credible information.
The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on October 10, also calls for stronger safeguards against online material that could spread misleading information, trigger public confusion or contribute to violence and law-and-order problems.
Meta, which owns both social media platforms, has been asked to examine its content-ranking mechanisms and ensure that misleading, manipulated or out-of-context material does not receive disproportionate visibility through automated recommendations.
The ministry has also stressed the importance of giving users sufficient information to understand the content they encounter, particularly posts related to ongoing public events.
Government Flags Context and Authenticity of Online Content
Under the advisory, Meta has been asked to take appropriate steps to establish the context surrounding photographs, videos, graphics and other material depicting public events. This includes information about a post’s authenticity, date, location and the circumstances in which the content was recorded or published.
The concern is that visuals taken from an earlier incident, selectively edited footage or material shared without essential context could be mistaken for evidence of a current event. Such content may create confusion, particularly when it concerns sensitive public-order situations.
MeitY has also called for stronger mechanisms to identify, review and escalate content that is gaining significant reach through recommendation systems and could potentially cause widespread apprehension, incite violence or disturb public order.
The advisory further asks Meta to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and other authorised government bodies within the timelines prescribed under the applicable rules.
The company has been advised to implement the necessary measures with immediate effect and inform the ministry about the action taken.
IT Act and IT Rules Cited in Advisory
The ministry has referred to the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in outlining Meta’s due-diligence obligations.
The rules require intermediaries to inform users about prohibited categories of information, including content that may incite violence or contribute to public disorder.
MeitY has asked the company to review both its recommendation algorithms and content-ranking systems so that potentially misleading or manipulated material is not repeatedly promoted to users at a disproportionate level.
The advisory comes amid wider scrutiny of social media platforms’ role in circulating information during sensitive public events. Reports on the directive have also linked the broader context to protests in Delhi over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, the advisory itself does not identify a single specific incident as the reason for its issuance.
Internet Freedom Foundation Raises Censorship Concerns
The government’s directive has also prompted concerns about its implications for online expression and the discretion available to social media companies when deciding what content should be promoted or restricted.
Apar Gupta, founder-director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, described the advisory as a “continuing censorship directive”, according to a report by PTI.
Gupta argued that phrases referring to content lacking adequate context and periods of heightened public-order sensitivity were not clearly tied to specific provisions of the IT Act or the IT Rules.
His criticism highlights a broader debate over how governments should address misleading online content without creating uncertainty around lawful speech or encouraging platforms to restrict material too broadly.
For Meta, the immediate challenge is to respond to the ministry’s concerns about content amplification, authenticity and public safety while operating within the existing legal framework. The advisory calls for changes to recommendation practices and stronger checks, but the extent of any changes to Facebook and Instagram’s systems remains unclear.