MeitY asks Meta to stop its algorithms from pushing a “limited set of narratives” amid CJP protests

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has asked Meta to ensure its recommendation systems on Instagram and Facebook do not expose users to “a single or limited set of narratives,” PTI reported. In the advisory, dated October 10, MeitY also asked Meta to “endeavour to provide appropriate diversity of relevant and credible information.”

Ministry sources told PTI that agencies had reported that Meta’s algorithms appeared to favour one kind of content over others.

MeitY issued the advisory on the day of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in Delhi, which demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The advisory does not name a specific incident. It asks Meta to act “with immediate effect” and report back on the action it takes. MeitY has not published it.

As of October 19, the CJP’s Instagram account had 25.1 million followers, compared with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) 10 million. The CJP account overtook the BJP’s within four days of its launch in May.

Who decides which narratives are credible?

PTI’s report on the advisory does not indicate how Meta should judge which narratives are “credible” or how much exposure to one narrative counts as disproportionate. According to PTI, the advisory cites the IT Act and the due diligence obligations under the IT Rules, but neither sets rules for recommendation systems.

Apar Gupta, founding director of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), told PTI that the advisory is not legally binding but amounts to a “continuing censorship directive.”

“Even this advisory, which contains phrases like content ‘without adequate context’ and periods of ‘heightened public-order sensitivity’, is not tied to any provision of the IT Act or the IT Rules,” he said. Gupta said MeitY should withdraw the advisory and Meta should publicly disclose every takedown and downranking it carries out under it.

What else does the advisory ask Meta to do? According to PTI, the advisory sets out six asks. These include:

Recommendations: Stop misleading or out-of-context content from being “disproportionately amplified or repeatedly recommended to users.”
Law enforcement: Cooperate promptly with law enforcement and authorised agencies, including by sharing information within the timelines prescribed by the IT Rules.
Escalation: Quickly identify and review content gaining wide reach that could cause public confusion, violence or disorder.
Context: Add context to photos and videos of ongoing public events where their date, location or authenticity is unclear.

MeitY said it had noticed certain content about public events being “prominently displayed and recommended to users” on Meta’s platforms. The advisory flags unverified claims about police action, restrictions or emergencies, as well as old or edited visuals presented as current events.

MeitY said the advisory respects “lawful expression and legitimate public discourse” and that Meta must act in line with the IT Act and the IT Rules.

How does this differ from MeitY’s October 8 advisory? The October 8 advisory went to all social media platforms and dealt with what content stays up. It asked platforms to exercise “enhanced diligence” over false or manipulated content that could affect public order and to prioritise complaints from government agencies.

The October 10 advisory went only to Meta and deals with how its algorithms spread content and which narratives users see.

During the protests, Delhi Police also issued more than 200 takedown orders through the government’s Sahyog portal, and Instagram withheld the account of political news outlet Molitics, as we reported.