Indian Government Urges Meta to Enhance Content Moderation Against Deepfakes

The Indian government has mandated Meta to revise its algorithms to effectively combat deepfakes and harmful content on its platform. This directive follows a meeting between MeitY officials and Meta's technical team, where the need for improved content moderation was emphasized. The discussions are part of ongoing efforts to enhance the detection and removal of manipulated media, with both parties agreeing to continue their collaboration. As concerns over harmful content grow, Meta's CEO has previously apologized for issues related to artificial content. The government's regulatory framework for AI-generated content has also been tightened, aiming to ensure accountability and compliance.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 8, 2026, 15:58 IST

Government's Directive to Meta on Content Regulation

According to official sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has instructed Meta to modify its algorithms. This change aims to prevent the spread of deepfakes, propaganda, and other manipulated or illegal content on its platform. The government emphasized the need for these specific adjustments to improve the detection and removal processes for harmful and manipulated content.

MeitY officials have also urged the company to strengthen its content moderation system, respond swiftly to content removal requests from authorized government agencies, and comply with data localization requirements.

Collaboration for Enhanced Detection of Harmful Content

Sources indicate that the government is working to improve coordination with Meta to expedite the detection and removal of deepfakes, morphed images, and misleading posts. These directives were issued following a meeting between Meta's technical team and MeitY officials on Friday. During this meeting, the company outlined how its current system identifies and addresses online harmful content. However, government representatives stressed the importance of modifying algorithms to curb the spread of propaganda, deepfakes, and manipulated media on Meta's platform.

This recent dialogue is part of a series of discussions between the government and Meta regarding strategies to tackle harmful and illegal content on the platform.

Meta Acknowledges System Shortcomings

During the discussions, Meta acknowledged the shortcomings of its existing systems and shared potential technical measures to address deepfakes and other synthetic content. Both parties have agreed to continue their discussions, with another meeting anticipated next week. Recently, the government has intensified its scrutiny of Meta due to concerns over deepfakes, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and other harmful content on the platform.

CEO's Apology and Regulatory Changes

Following the Indian government's concerns, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously apologized for the errors related to artificial content (CSAM) and deepfakes on the company's platform. These discussions are occurring at a time when India has tightened its regulatory framework for artificially generated content, including deepfakes. Earlier this year, the government amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) rules to bring artificially generated information under a specific regulatory framework and impose additional diligence requirements on online intermediaries. The aim of these regulations is to enhance accountability for AI-generated and manipulated content, including requirements for identification and labeling.