Parliamentary panel summons Meta, Google, X, Snapchat over digital platform regulation

New Delhi: A parliamentary committee has called representatives from Meta, Google, X and Snapchat, along with officials from the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Home Affairs, to appear before it on August 3 to discuss the regulation of social and digital platforms.

The meeting comes shortly after social media platforms, particularly Instagram, were used by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to mobilise support for a student protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper leak and other concerns.

The 36-day protest concluded on Saturday after the government accepted several key demands and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

According to the committee’s notice, discussions will focus on the regulation of digital platforms and their role in safeguarding user privacy and maintaining public order.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, said the companies have been asked to explain the measures they have in place to protect the privacy of women, children, farmers, labourers and other users, as well as how they contribute to ensuring public order.