Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 6: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that Meta had restricted his social media account in India and claimed that the company failed to provide any explanation despite repeated queries.

Sharing a screenshot of his restricted account on X (formerly Twitter) while tagging Meta India, the former Delhi chief minister criticised the company's services and questioned the reason behind the restriction. However, he did not specify whether his Facebook or Instagram account had been affected.

"Why have you restricted my account?" Kejriwal asked, claiming that verbal enquiries with Meta's India office indicated that his account was unavailable in India. He alleged that none of his emails received a proper response apart from routine acknowledgements.

Kejriwal also urged Meta not to "bow down" before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government, amid an ongoing controversy involving the technology company and the Centre over the temporary removal of a video posted by Modi.

Meta had recently faced criticism after temporarily restricting a Facebook post by the Prime Minister. The company later restored the post and apologised to government officials, stating that the restriction occurred due to an error.

Following the controversy, senior Meta officials met government representatives, with authorities raising concerns over content moderation, child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, protection of verified accounts, algorithmic bias and compliance with Indian laws.

Government sources said Meta acknowledged concerns regarding illegal content on its platforms and issues related to paid promotions targeting specific audiences. The company may be called for further discussions on these matters.