India Calls Google, Meta Executives for Money Laundering Inquiry

• Government sources allege Google and Meta are facilitating illegal activities.
• Authorities will investigate funds from betting apps that reached these platforms.
• Company representatives are expected to appear before the regulatory agency on July 21.

NEW DELHI: India’s financial crime investigation agency has summoned executives from tech giants Google and Meta to its headquarters on Monday in response to allegations of money laundering linked to online betting applications, as reported by two government sources.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into whether these platforms have facilitated the advertising and promotion of betting apps, according to the first source.

The scheduled date for the appearance at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi is July 21, the source confirmed.

The second government source accused Google and Meta of promoting illegal activities via their platforms, despite a government warning against the advertising of any form of betting.

The investigation will include scrutiny of the funds these companies received from betting applications, and whether they have promoted or advertised other betting platforms, added the second source.

Both sources requested anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

As of now, Google and Meta have not responded to requests for comment made by Reuters.

According to India’s information and broadcasting ministry, betting and gambling present “significant financial and socio-economic risks for consumers, particularly for youth and children.” In a 2022 advisory, the ministry warned against the promotion of offline or online betting through advertisements in the broader public interest.

This news was initially reported by the domestic news agency ANI.