Legal Action Against Meta India Over Offensive Content Targeting PM Modi

Legal Proceedings Initiated Against Meta India

Recently, a protest by the 'Cockroach People's Party' at Jantar Mantar has led to legal action against Meta India's head and several Facebook and Instagram accounts. The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have filed a case against Arun Srinivasan, the head of Meta India, along with multiple accounts for allegedly disseminating altered and objectionable videos and images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media platforms.

Complaints Filed by Citizens

The complaints were lodged by two individuals who reported receiving numerous digitally altered videos and images portraying the Prime Minister in a vulgar, derogatory, and misleading manner. According to their allegations, the content included edited visuals depicting Modi inappropriately alongside Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as well as manipulated images of U.S. President Donald Trump. The complaints further stated that the material appeared to be created using digital manipulation or artificial intelligence and was subsequently circulated on social media.

Concerns Over Misinformation

It has been claimed that such posts could mislead the public, spread misinformation, incite hatred or public unrest, violate public decency, defame public figures, disrupt law and order, and foster animosity among different societal groups. In a separate incident, Telangana BJP worker and social media cell member T. Saikiran Goud alleged that he encountered offensive reels and altered images while using social media on Wednesday.

Investigation and Legal Framework

Saikiran has called for an investigation into the accounts allegedly publishing content deemed harmful to "India's sovereignty, integrity, and public order." According to the police investigation so far, most of the videos have either been deleted or are no longer accessible in India. The police have registered cases under Section 66-C (identity theft) and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, as well as Section 353(2) (statements causing public disorder) and Section 336(4) (false electronic records damaging reputation) of the Indian Penal Code. The investigation is ongoing.