Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has criticized Meta for its faulty automatic translation of Kannada on Facebook and Instagram, calling it misleading and harmful. He warned that these errors distort facts, particularly in official government communications. In his post, Siddaramaiah said, “Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms is distorting facts and misleading users, which is dangerous for official communications.”

The CM’s Media Advisor, K.V. Prabhakar, formally wrote to Meta, highlighting that the translations are often inaccurate and misleading. The letter stressed that this risks misinforming the public, as many users may mistake flawed translations as the original statements, which often come from state authorities.

The Karnataka government urged Meta to suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada temporarily until its accuracy improves. It also recommended involving qualified Kannada language experts to enhance translation quality and contextual understanding between Kannada and English.

The Chief Minister’s Office demanded urgent corrective measures and requested Meta to clarify the steps being taken to resolve the issue. As of now, Meta has not responded to the Karnataka CM’s concerns. The state government insists that tech giants must act responsibly and ensure that their tools do not erode public trust through negligence.