Meta’s Zuckerberg to face parliamentary summons over India elections remark

Social media giant Meta is set to receive a summons from the Parliamentary Standing Committee, chairman of the House panel on Communication and Information Technology Nishikant Dubey said on Tuesday. In a post on X, the BJP MP accused CEO Mark Zuckerberg of spreading misinformation through his earlier comments on the 2024 Indian general election.

“My committee will call Meta for this wrong information. Wrong information in any democratic country tarnishes the image of the country. That organization will have to apologise to the Indian Parliament and the people here for this mistake,” Dubey wrote in his post.

Mark Zuckerberg on Lok Sabha elections
During a recent podcast with Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg commented on the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on trust in governments and election outcomes. He stated, “2024 was a very big election year around the world and all these countries, India, had elections.”

“The incumbents basically lost every single one. There is some sort of a global phenomenon – whether it was because of inflation or the economic policies to deal with Covid or just how the governments dealt with Covid. It seems to have had this effect that’s global,” he added.

Union minister responds to Meta CEO
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw refuted Zuckerberg’s claims, stating that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government had retained power in the 2024 elections.

“Zuckerberg’s claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections, lost post-Covid is factually incorrect…PM Modi’s decisive 3rd-term victory is a testament to good governance and public trust,” Vaishnaw said.

He added, “Meta, it’s disappointing to see misinformation from Zuckerberg himself. Let’s uphold facts and credibility.”

Meta removes fact-checking
Zuckerberg’s comments come amid Meta’s recent decision to scrap third-party fact-checking and ease moderation on sensitive topics, a move Zuckerberg defended by citing a cultural shift towards prioritising free speech.

This policy shift, however, has drawn criticism from misinformation experts and political figures, including outgoing US President Joe Biden, who described the decision as “really shameful.”

The International Fact-Checking Network also issued an open letter warning of “devastating consequences” if Meta’s policy changes were applied globally, particularly in countries vulnerable to misinformation and political instability.

Zuckerberg’s remarks and policy decisions have also been interpreted as an attempt to align with the re-election of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose conservative base has criticised tech platforms for allegedly curbing free speech. Critics accuse Zuckerberg of pandering to Trump, who often claims that Big Tech colludes with liberal opponents to suppress conservative viewpoints.

While Dubey had made the announcement on X, no formal letter has been sent to Meta as of Tuesday, Jan 14.