India Examines Meta Safe Harbour as Algorithms Decide What Users See
India's ongoing discussions with Meta have moved beyond deepfakes and content moderation to a more fundamental technology-policy question: when a social media platform's algorithms actively decide what content users see, can it continue to be treated purely as an intermediary?
Government sources told PTI that the Centre is examining whether Meta's recommendation systems and paid content-promotion mechanisms are consistent with the intermediary protections available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
The issue is significant because Section 79 provides intermediaries conditional exemption from liability for third-party information hosted or transmitted through their platforms.
The government has not yet reached a legal conclusion on Meta's status. Officials are expected to review the outcome of their engagements with the company before deciding whether to seek a formal legal opinion.
Why Meta's Recommendation Algorithms Matter
At the center of the government's examination is the role played by recommendation systems in determining "what...
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