Google joins Meta in reporting child abuse content directly to Indian authorities

Google has announced it will report suspected child sexual abuse content directly to Indian law enforcement, moving away from its previous practice of channelling reports through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a US-based non-profit organisation.

The shift follows Meta's similar decision to establish direct reporting channels with Indian authorities. The change aims to address delays inherent in the existing system, which relies on the intermediary non-profit to process and forward reports to local agencies.

Under the new arrangement, Google will report findings of child sexual abuse material directly to the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India. This direct pathway is expected to significantly reduce the time between detection and notification to authorities.

The move reflects growing pressure on technology platforms to take more proactive roles in combating child exploitation. Both Google and Meta have invested in artificial intelligence systems to detect and remove illegal content, but the speed of reporting to law enforcement remains a key concern for child protection advocates.

India has intensified efforts to crack down on online child exploitation, making the direct reporting arrangement a priority for tech companies operating in the country. The change is expected to strengthen coordination between platforms and local law enforcement agencies in tackling this serious issue.