In a watershed moment of social media regulation and online content moderation, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police filed a case against the head of Meta India and operators of the Facebook and Instagram profiles for spreading morphed and objectionable content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It comes just as social media platforms are coming under increasing scrutiny for monitoring and controlling manipulated content.
Police said the FIRs were related to the circulation of allegedly altered videos, reels and posts of the Prime Minister in a misleading or defamatory manner to the public. The content was shared widely across social media platforms, so it was received by many users before a complaint was made to officials. Cases were registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and information technology laws, and the investigation is currently on.
According to the reports, the posts came during public debates and protests on the NEET paper leak controversy. Some social media accounts uploaded and amplified manipulated content against the Prime Minister, which led cybercrime officials to initiate legal proceedings. The content is being examined, along with who made the content and what kinds of people spread it, among other investigators said.
Meta India’s head has been in the FIR and has been widely reported. Police have not publicly talked about whether Meta’s local leadership acted inappropriately in terms of content moderation, compliance procedures or responses to complaints about the allegedly offensive content. The investigation will establish if any legal responsibilities extend beyond the users who posted the content.
The situation comes just weeks after Meta had been forced to apologise for removing a video from Prime Minister Modi’s website. Meta said it was a mistake and apologised. But the company had to go through the thick of government processes to explain content moderation and platform operations as well.
Investigators in cybercrime are increasingly investigating AI-generated, manipulated and misleading digital content. This is one reason officials in several states have filed cases against individuals who have produced or shared doctored videos and images targeting political leaders, public officials and government institutions. Artificial intelligence and digital editing tools also make it relatively easy to create convincing fake content that can spread across the internet and influence the world’s thinking, they say.
Legal experts say the case has the potential to test the ability of social media companies operating in India. Questions of platform accountability, content moderation and compliance with Indian law have also come back into play with governments around the world wanting to better monitor digital platforms.
When in charge of the investigation, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police will seek technical information from social media platforms, identify account operators involved in the alleged circulation of the content, and decide whether more people or organisations should be included in the investigation. No arrests have been made so far, and authorities said the investigation continues.
It’s again a case in point of how free expression, political discourse and the prevention of misinformation in the digital age collide. The outcome of the investigation may influence social media regulation and platform accountability in India.
