Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is actively working to ensure compliance with India’s recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act. However, achieving compliance presents operational complexities, including certain aspects of Meta’s policies that do not fully align with Indian regulations, according to Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta.
Clegg emphasized that the potential timeframe offered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) for Big Tech firms to comply with the DPDP Act is crucial. While Meta can implement existing solutions more quickly than creating bespoke India-specific solutions, the degree of compliance depends on the specific aspects of the law.
He explained, “Some aspects are easier to comply with than others since we’d have also dealt with some aspects in other geographies. Where the adaptations to the Indian law are not very extensive, these aspects would be more complicated.”
Meity is expected to provide Big Tech companies like Meta a shorter timeframe, possibly six months, to become compliant with the DPDP Act. This law is of significant importance to Meta, as India is its largest market globally in terms of user base.
Meta has faced regulatory challenges in the past and aims to ensure compliance with the DPDP Act to maintain its operations in India successfully. Clegg also highlighted the importance of addressing issues related to misinformation and elections, emphasizing Meta’s commitment to developing technology to combat misinformation rapidly.
Regarding a global AI regulatory framework, Clegg believes it is both possible and desirable, given that technology transcends borders. He stressed the need for common standards on detectability and watermarking across the industry to enhance AI transparency.
Clegg commended India’s regulatory approach, particularly in regulating the outcomes of technologies like AI rather than legislating the technology itself. He emphasized the importance of industry consultations to improve legislation and cited the DPDP Act as an example of the positive impact of such consultations.
In response to concerns about data usage in AI personalization offerings, Clegg stated that Meta is committed to transparency. The company plans to publish detailed information about how it uses data for AI systems, emphasizing that personally identifiable and sensitive data are excluded from their training data.
Meta recently announced AI initiatives and features across its platforms, focusing on personalized AI use. While Clegg clarified that their goal is not to compete directly in search with other major platforms, Meta’s initiatives aim to improve AI transparency, safety, integrity, and bias.
The development of responsible AI and the establishment of a common global framework for AI development have become key topics for discussion among top global executives, regulators, and industry leaders. India, as a member of the G20, has shown a commitment to promoting international cooperation and governance for AI.
Meta, along with other industry leaders, is actively addressing AI bias and working to improve AI models to ensure responsible development and usage of AI technologies.