Overview
- Two posts on the verified CMO Keralam Facebook page were removed and later restored by Meta; the posts were an Onam allowance announcement for ASHA workers and a Nabi Dina greeting.
- The CMO sent a formal letter to Meta and the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT seeking immediate restoration, a statutory explanation under the IT Act, and steps to prevent similar takedowns of official handles.
- Meta restored the posts after the CMO’s intervention but has not provided a public, formal account of why the content was removed or whether the action was taken by automated systems or by human review.
- Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala denied requesting any takedowns and the CM said a separate request to restore the CMO’s Instagram account went unanswered for around two months.
- The incident follows earlier reports of Meta removing or restricting content critical of the state government and has renewed calls from journalists and opposition parties for clearer rules and stronger protections for official public communication.