Google expressed concerns about a self-regulatory body for social media in India. Facebook and Twitter have shown support for the proposal for developing the self-regulatory body whose primary function would consist of hearing user complaints.

In June 2022, the Indian government proposed the appointment of a government panel to hear complaints about content moderation decisions from users. They also announced that companies can appoint their own self-regulatory body if the industry accepts.

The proposal for the government panel closed for publication after early July 2022 though the implementation has no fixed date.

An initial draft of the proposal recommended the appointment of a retired judge or an experienced technology expert along with six other senior executives at social media companies.

Facebook and Twitter have shown interest in forming a self-regulatory body, but it seems highly unlikely considering the lack of consensus among the tech giants. Consequently, a government panel to oversee the whole industry will be formed.

Alphabet Inc’s Google has reservations about allowing a self-regulatory body as it would allow external reviews of decisions and force changes in content—violating Google’s internal policies. Sources from Google also expressed concerns regarding the directives from a self-regulatory body that might set a dangerous precedent.

Snap Inc and ShareChat also attended the meeting and voiced concerns about the proposal stating it requires more consultation with its users and the civil society.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google have faced backlash for blocking various Indian influences and have thus been at odds with the Indian government.

In contrast, the Indian government has expressed concerns about users being upset over their content being taken down and having only legal recourse to voice their concerns. Google’s Youtube removed 1.2 million videos from their server in the first quarter of the year citing violations of its guidelines.

U.S. industry groups of the tech giants also pointed out that the government-run panel raises concern about how independent the decision making would be.