New Delhi – The Indian government is set to hold high-level discussions with Meta Platforms within the next week, following the temporary restriction of a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has deemed Meta's initial explanation for the incident “inadequate” and is pressing for enhanced safeguards and greater policy clarity.
PM Modi's Post Briefly Restricted
On July 23, 2026, a Facebook post by Prime Minister Modi, addressing India's youth and promising stringent measures against exam paper leaks, was briefly restricted by Meta before being restored. The post, which included a direct selfie video, marked the Prime Minister’s first such engagement aimed at connecting with young voters amid ongoing student protests.
Government Seeks Policy and Technical Clarity
MeitY Secretary S Krishnan confirmed that Meta officials have been summoned to explain the situation. “They will be coming and explaining what the situation is. We want to have both a policy-level and a technical understanding of the issues, and an adaptation to the kinds of concerns India has in this regard,” Krishnan stated, speaking on the sidelines of a CII conference on semiconductors. He added that India has several concerns it intends to raise during the upcoming discussions.
Meta Apologizes, Implements New Safeguards
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly written to the government outlining new, rigorous safeguards implemented for content posted by Prime Minister Modi and other prominent accounts. The company attributed the restriction to a “technical glitch” and expressed regret over the incident. Sources indicate that posts from the Prime Minister and selected prominent accounts will now undergo additional oversight, requiring multiple levels of checks and review by at least two senior company officials before any action is taken.
Krishnan acknowledged that Meta has provided their understanding of why the incident occurred and indicated that new protocols for prominent persons' accounts were established as of July 28 to prevent recurrence. However, the government's stance underscores a desire for more comprehensive policy and technical explanations to ensure such incidents are avoided in the future.