"Distorting Facts": Siddaramaiah Writes To Meta On Faulty Auto-Translation Of Kannada
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday expressed his concerns over faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms. The minister alleged that the social media platforms are distorting facts and misleading users, adding that the development is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications.
“My Media Advisor Shri K V Prabhakar has formally written to Meta urging immediate correction,” the chief minister wrote on X, while sharing the letter sent to the Meta platform on its concerns.
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Siddaramaiah further underlined that social media platforms must act responsibly, while cautioning citizens to be aware that translations shown are often inaccurate.
“Such negligence by tech giants can harm public understanding & trust,” the chief minister added.
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In its letter to the Meta, the chief minister’s media advisor pointed out that auto-translation by platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, is a serious concern, with it frequently being inaccurate in some cases. Noting that it poses significant risk, the letter pointed out that official communications, statements and messages from the chief minister are incorrectly translated and lead to misinterpretation among users.
“Given the sensitivity of public communication, especially from a constitutional functionary such as the chief minister, such misinterpretations of a flawed translation mechanism are unacceptable,” the letter underscored.
The letter on behalf of the chief minister urged Meta to temporarily suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada content until the translation accuracy is reliably improved.
It further asked the tech company to collaborate with Kannada language experts and linguistics professionals to enhance the quality and contextual accuracy of translations between Kannada and English.
“We request that this issue be treated with due seriousness and addressed on priority. Kindly confirm the steps taken to resolve this concern,” the letter added.
Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on @Meta platforms is distorting facts & misleading users. This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications.
My Media Advisor Shri K V Prabhakar has formally written to Meta urging immediate correction.
Social… pic.twitter.com/tJBp38wcHr
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 17, 2025
