Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai.Meta has restored Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video on Facebook after it was briefly taken down, saying the removal was caused by a technical glitch. The video, posted on July 23, carried the Prime Minister's message to Gen Z and students on the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. During the period it was unavailable, viewers saw a message stating that the content was not available in India, triggering questions over its removal.

The company clarified on Tuesday that the video had been removed inadvertently and was restored after the error was identified. The incident drew attention as the message dealt with a sensitive issue affecting millions of students across the country.

Government seeks explanation from Meta

Meanwhile, news agency IANS, quoting sources, reported that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has summoned Meta's Global Head as well as the company's Global Head of Public Policy over the episode. There has been no official statement from the ministry or Meta regarding the reported meeting.

In his 2.56-minute video message posted shortly after midnight on July 23, the Prime Minister described paper leaks as a serious concern that causes immense hardship to students and their families.

Key assurances made by the Prime Minister

According to the Prime Minister, the government has already initiated several measures over the past two-and-a-half months to tackle the issue. He said:

• Those responsible for the paper leak have been arrested and are in jail.
• The government ensured that nearly 2.2 million students did not lose an academic year by conducting the examination again within a short period.
• The examination results were declared on July 19.
• Directions have been issued to establish fast-track courts for speedy disposal of paper leak cases.

Focus on examination reforms

The Prime Minister's remarks are linked to the alleged NEET-UG paper leak that surfaced after the examination held on May 3. Continuing his outreach to students, Modi released another video on July 24 thanking people for their positive response and suggestions to his earlier message. He said continued public support would strengthen the government's engagement with citizens.

On July 26, a day after protests over the NEET issue ended, the Prime Minister announced the formation of a six-member high-powered task force to recommend examination reforms. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has been appointed as its chairman. Modi said the government was taking continuous steps to safeguard students' futures and ensure strict action against those responsible for compromising examination integrity.

How Meta reviews and restores content

Separately, Delhi Police had earlier issued notices to several social media platforms seeking the removal of posts and videos carrying objectionable remarks against the Prime Minister during protests at Jantar Mantar and the July 20 Parliament march. Police said such content surfaced during the demonstrations and subsequent violence.

How Meta handles content moderation:

• AI systems first identify potentially problematic content.
• Human moderators review cases where further verification is required.
• Content violating community standards is removed.
• Material taken down in error is restored after review.

The restoration of the Prime Minister's video has once again highlighted the challenges faced by social media platforms in balancing automated moderation with accurate enforcement, particularly when content involves public institutions and issues of national importance.