Meta Platforms Inc. (META, Financials), the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is facing growing pressure in India after local media reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to government officials over harmful content and operational mistakes on its platforms.
The apology reportedly covered child sexual abuse material, deepfake content and other failures. Meta did not immediately confirm the report.
The company has already been under scrutiny in India. In July, officials ordered Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting illegal material on Instagram and explain how it was allowed to appear.
Meta executives were also called in after Facebook briefly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The company later said the post was blocked by mistake.
The timing matters because India has recently tightened its rules for social media companies. Platforms now have three hours to remove certain unlawful content flagged by courts or the government, compared with 36 hours previously.
That change could raise Meta's compliance costs and create greater legal exposure for local executives. For investors, the larger concern is whether stricter oversight in one of Meta's biggest markets leads to fines, operational changes or weaker engagement. The next catalyst will be any formal response from Meta or further action from Indian regulators.