Onlykashmir.in News Desk
A Parliamentary standing committee on Tuesday took a strong view of the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech from Facebook, seeking a formal apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and warning that his protection and immunity in India could be withdrawn if he fails to respond within three days.
The committee flagged that the Prime Minister’s address to students and members of Generation Z on examination reforms and action against paper leaks was unavailable on Facebook for nearly five to six hours, describing the lapse as a matter of serious concern. Lawmakers on the panel argued that the removal of an official communication from the country’s highest office, even temporarily, raised troubling questions about the platform’s content moderation systems and its accountability to Indian users and institutions.
In the same session, the committee also turned its attention to Google India, urging the government to take action against the company in connection with alleged investment fraud carried out through fake mobile applications. The panel cited a case registered with Hyderabad Cyber Police in which complainants reportedly lost more than ₹48 lakh to scams run through applications that had been available on app platforms, raising questions about the adequacy of vetting processes for financial and investment apps.
The dual rebuke to two of the world’s largest technology companies reflects growing unease among Indian lawmakers over the outsized influence global platforms wield in the country, one of the largest markets for both Meta and Google by user base. Committee members reportedly argued that repeated incidents involving content takedowns, algorithmic errors and fraud enabled through app stores demonstrate a pattern of insufficient responsiveness from Silicon Valley firms toward Indian regulatory and parliamentary oversight.
While Meta has not yet issued a public response to the committee’s demand, the ultimatum sets a tight timeline that will test how seriously the company treats scrutiny from India’s Parliament. Google India has similarly not commented on the fraud allegations raised by the panel.
The episode adds to a broader, ongoing conversation in New Delhi about tightening accountability frameworks for global technology platforms operating in India, particularly around content governance, app store due diligence and consumer protection in the digital economy.
