Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology will meet representatives of major social media platforms, including Meta, X, Snapchat and Google on Monday to discuss online safety, user privacy and compliance with government rules.The meeting, scheduled for 4 pm, will focus on the digital safety of women and children, protection of data belonging to farmers, rural residents, labourers and the general public and how social media companies comply with laws related to public order.BJP MP and committee chairperson Nishikant Dubey said the platforms had been summoned to explain the steps they were taking to safeguard user privacy and ensure compliance with government regulations.“On 3 August 2026 at 4 PM, our Parliamentary Committee on IT and Communication has summoned Meta (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp), X (Twitter), Snapchat, and Google,” Dubey said.“How will the privacy of women, children, farmers, rural folks, labourers, and the general public be protected? How do these companies ensure the government’s public order?” he added.The meeting comes days after Meta briefly removed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video on action against examination paper leaks before restoring it.Meta later said the video had been removed due to a technical error.“The content was removed in error and has since been restored,” a Meta spokesperson said.The video, released on July 23, was PM Modi’s first direct address to Gen Z during the 36-day-long Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
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In the address, PM Modi assured students that the government would strengthen the legal framework against paper leaks by introducing stricter punishment and Special Fast-Track Courts.The Centre later introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, proposing imprisonment of up to 10 years, higher monetary penalties and Special Fast-Track Courts for offences under the law.The student agitation ended on July 25 after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister. The Centre also reached an understanding with the CJP and activist Sonam Wangchuk to withdraw cases against protesters, prevent police intimidation and bring in stronger anti-paper leak legislation.
