Meta restricted access in India to two AI-generated videos related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted from verified accounts of the Indian National Congress after receiving content takedown notices from the Delhi Police.
The information regarding the takedown notice was first disclosed on Lumen Database, a Harvard University project that analyses legal complaints and content removal requests, on December 18, and was later independently verified by Moneycontrol.
“We have restricted the access of this content under current legal obligations and upon receipt of a valid blocking order,” a Meta spokesperson told Moneycontrol.
The notices issued by Delhi Police, invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and directed Meta to act against the content or risk losing statutory safe harbour protections.
The notices also warned of potential criminal liability for Meta’s local personnel in case of non-compliance.
The reported content consisted of AI-generated reels on Facebook and Instagram depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly granting favours to an Indian businessman.
Delhi Police cited alleged violations of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 as well as Section 66C of the IT Act, which deals with identity-related cyber offences.
In its disclosure, Meta stated that the content did not violate the company’s Community Standards. The company added that the action was taken to comply with Indian law and that the affected users were notified after access was restricted.
Meta did not remove the content globally, limiting the restriction to India.
The episode underscores the increasing reliance by Indian law enforcement agencies on criminal law provisions and intermediary liability rules to act against political content, including AI-generated media.
Under India’s digital framework, platforms that fail to act on government takedown notices risk losing safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, exposing them to legal liability for user-generated content.
The threat of criminal action against local employees has emerged as a significant compliance pressure point for global technology firms operating in India.
The disclosures come amid broader regulatory and political scrutiny of AI-generated content, particularly during election cycles, with concerns around misinformation, impersonation and manipulated media.
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