Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has been requested to pay attention to its suggestion algorithms by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to make sure that the customers will not be seen inundated with a single or restricted set of narratives.
The government further appealed to Meta to “watchful, customary, and proportionate oversight” of the content that might aid “public disorder, violence and other unlawful acts”.
The advisory suggests that the company take necessary action to contextually provide photos, video, graphics and other material that visually illustrates the ongoing public events on appropriate grounds. This is especially relevant when authenticity, date, location or circumstances of the material is not always obvious to users.
Meta was also asked by MeitY to review its suggestions and content ranking algorithms as some material may be misleading in the users’ view, manipulated or out-of-context and so create a disproportionate amplification effect or keep appearing in their timelines.
The government’s directions do not refer to any specific incident that led to the advisory. But it is at the heels of protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties in the Indian capital of Delhi that has been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The government’s instructions emphasize what is known as algorithms for passing information through social media, especially during important events involving large gatherings of public. Recommendations can shape what users will see, and repetition can lead to exposure of specific claims or narratives.
Improving context, and tighter controls on potentially harmful content, is the directive MeitY has given to Meta.
The advisory also flags the Government’s concern that material on the internet, if presented out of context, might exacerbate tensions or illegal activities. The implementations of the recommendations on Instagram and Facebook will depend on Meta’s answer and the specific actions the company took with regards to the directions.