Karnataka Government urges Meta to suspend faulty Kannada auto-translation feature

Bengaluru

The Government of Karnataka has formally urged Meta to immediately suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada content on its platforms, citing serious concerns over inaccurate and misleading translations. The demand comes amid growing alarm over automated English translations of official Kannada messages on Facebook and Instagram that are distorting facts and risking public misinterpretation.

In a letter addressed to the Meta team, K. V. Prabhakar, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, called for the suspension of the feature until its accuracy is reliably improved. The letter warns that the current flawed translations pose a significant risk, particularly when public communications and official statements from the Chief Minister or the government are involved.

The letter also urges Meta to collaborate with qualified Kannada language experts and linguistic professionals to enhance the contextual and grammatical accuracy of translations between Kannada and English.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also took to X (formerly Twitter) to caution citizens about the misleading nature of such translations. “Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on @Meta platforms is distorting facts & misleading users. This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications,” he said. He further noted that negligence by tech giants can harm public trust and understanding, and stressed the need for responsible action from social media platforms.

The state government has asked Meta to treat the issue with urgency and confirm the steps being taken to resolve it. The appeal reflects growing concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence-based tools on governance and public discourse in regional languages.

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