New Delhi: India’s parliamentary scrutiny of global technology platforms is set to intensify, with the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology summoning senior representatives of Meta, Google, X and Snapchat to appear before it on 3 August at 4 pm.
The meeting, announced by committee chair and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, will examine the role and responsibilities of major social media companies in protecting users and managing online content. Meta’s platforms—including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp—have been specifically included in the summons alongside X, Snapchat and Google.
According to Dubey, the committee intends to assess how digital platforms safeguard the privacy of vulnerable groups, including women, children, farmers, rural communities and labourers. Discussions are also expected to focus on the obligations of intermediaries in preventing content that could disrupt public order.
The parliamentary review comes against the backdrop of increasing regulatory attention on social media companies as policymakers seek stronger accountability over content governance, user protection and platform transparency.
The development follows a separate intervention by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which recently called the global leadership of Meta and Instagram after a video posted on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook page was briefly blocked for users in India.
The video was temporarily unavailable on Tuesday morning, with users reportedly receiving a notification indicating that access had been restricted following a legal request. Meta later restored the content, stating that the removal had occurred due to an internal error rather than a government directive.
While the incident involving the Prime Minister’s post has drawn attention to Meta’s content moderation processes and its handling of legal takedown requests, the parliamentary committee’s review is expected to extend well beyond that episode.
Lawmakers are likely to examine broader issues including privacy protection, moderation policies, algorithmic accountability and the mechanisms social media companies employ to address misinformation and harmful online content.
The hearing also comes amid mounting concerns over the proliferation of deepfakes, impersonation, online child safety risks and the amplification of misleading content through automated recommendation systems.
The Centre has repeatedly emphasised that social media intermediaries must comply with their due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, including acting promptly against unlawful and harmful content.
The committee’s proceedings are expected to provide fresh insight into Parliament’s evolving approach towards regulating digital platforms as India continues to tighten oversight of the country’s rapidly expanding social media ecosystem.
