IT ministry asks Meta to review recommendation systems on Facebook and Instagram

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an advisory to Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, asking it to review how its platforms recommend and rank content. The advisory is dated October 10, and PTI, which saw a copy, reported it on October 18, according to ThePrint.

What the advisory asks

As described by PTI, Meta is asked to:

• ensure its recommendation systems do not cause disproportionate exposure of users to a single narrative or a limited set of narratives, and try to offer a range of relevant, credible information;
• add context to photos, videos and graphics about ongoing public events, particularly where the date, location or authenticity is unclear;
• review recommendation and ranking systems so that misleading, manipulated or out-of-context content is not amplified or repeatedly recommended;
• strengthen mechanisms to identify, review and escalate widely spreading content that could cause confusion, violence or public disorder;
• cooperate in a timely way with law enforcement and authorized agencies under the IT Rules, 2021.

The advisory names old or selectively edited visuals presented as current events, unverified claims about emergencies or police action, and audio-visual material on law-and-order situations shown without adequate context. ThePrint reports that Meta was told to act with immediate effect and to inform the ministry of the action taken, with no other deadline reported. DNA India also reports no compliance deadline.

Reasons given

The advisory cites the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, which require intermediaries to exercise due diligence. According to PTI, it says content on public-order situations that is prominently displayed and recommended without adequate context may cause public confusion and disturbance of public order. It does not identify a specific incident. PTI reports that ministry sources said agency reports indicated Meta's platforms were not promoting all narratives equally, with algorithms seeming to favor one type of content.

PTI links the advisory to protests in Delhi led by the Cockroach Janta Party and opposition parties, where protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. PTI notes that the advisory does not reference these protests directly. DNA India says the public event is not identified.

Criticism

Apar Gupta, founder director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, said the advisory is not legally binding but called it a "continuing censorship directive", according to PTI. He said MeitY should withdraw it and that Meta should publicly disclose any takedowns and downranking carried out under it. He argued that phrases such as content shown without adequate context are not tied to a specific provision of the IT Act or IT Rules.

What is not in the reports

Neither ThePrint nor DNA India reports a response from Meta or says whether it has acted. The ministry's statement says action must be consistent with the IT Act, the IT Rules and other applicable laws, and that its aim is responsible dissemination of information while respecting lawful expression.