India tells Meta: change how your algorithms surface content, not just what you take down

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has asked Meta to revamp how its platforms rank and surface content — not just what they take down — and to file a compliance roadmap curbing deepfakes, propaganda, and other manipulated material across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The ask emerged from a Friday meeting between MeitY officials and Meta's technical team, per a Hindustan Times report citing government sources. Meta presented its existing detection systems and acknowledged gaps in synthetic-content handling, India Today reported. Both sides agreed to a follow-up meeting next week.

The ministry also pressed Meta to speed up takedown responses to authorized agencies, tighten moderation, and meet India's data localization requirements, the Times of India added.

The request follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's earlier apology over errors tied to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and deepfakes, and India's earlier amendment of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules tightening synthetic-content rules. The wider pattern has been framed by Frontline as algorithm audits.

The category shift: India is asking platforms to show their work on distribution, not just on removal. What remains unknown is whether Meta's roadmap will be public, and what enforcement MeitY has in reserve if the company does not deliver.