Delhi HC bashes Meta functioning for being ‘worse than govt departments

Delhi High Court on Meta: The Delhi High Court, in a scathing remark, criticised Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, stating that its functionality was even worse than that of a government department. The rebuke came as Meta failed to adequately address the plea of media conglomerate TV Today Network regarding the blocking of its Instagram page, Harper’s Bazaar India.

The bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora, admonished the tech giant, cautioning that if TV Today's complaint remained unresolved, the court would infer that Meta was evading the issue. The court underlined that Meta must rectify its operational shortcomings, warning that failure to do so might result in severe censure from the court.

TV Today Network Pvt Ltd approached the court after its Instagram page was blocked due to a third-party complaint alleging copyright infringement. Additionally, the media house contested the constitutionality of Rule 3(1)(c) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The media house's counsel informed the court that despite contacting Meta's grievance redressal officer and highlighting their concerns, they received a dismissive response claiming they had not reached the correct channel.

Action due to copyright complaints

Meta's counsel clarified that the Instagram page was blocked in response to three copyright complaints and that the email presented by the media group was an automatic reply, not a final decision to reject the complaint.

Following the court's instruction, the petitioner's counsel filled out the requisite form in the presence of Meta's counsel. However, upon return, it was revealed that the complaint had been rejected once again.

Expressing frustration, the bench urged Meta's counsel to comply with the court's directives, highlighting that Meta's failure to address the media house's complaint was unacceptable. The court scheduled further proceedings for the following day and urged Meta's counsel to provide a more satisfactory response.

The court cautioned Meta that if its system continued to malfunction, the validity of the Rule in question could be called into question. The bench reiterated the importance of Meta addressing grievances promptly and effectively to ensure the proper functioning of its platform.

(With PTI inputs)