Politics · India Bureau
Meta strengthens child safety stance following government pressure
The Indian government's direct engagement with Meta has resulted in the social media giant adopting a more cautious approach to child sexual abuse material, according to IT ministry sources. The Centre has made clear that such content violates Indian law and cannot claim safe-harbour protections.
LSN India ·
New Delhi — Meta has demonstrated increased sensitivity and caution regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM) following intensive discussions with India's IT Ministry, government sources said on Tuesday. The company has taken several concrete steps in response to the government's firm stance on the issue, with officials describing the response as "important and significant."
The Centre's engagement with Meta was focused on ensuring compliance with Indian laws and norms rather than censorship, IT ministry sources clarified. The government has made unequivocally clear that CSAM constitutes a violation of Indian law and cannot be shielded by safe-harbour protections that typically protect social media platforms from liability for user-generated content. Officials emphasised that the intent is to mitigate social media harms while respecting legitimate coverage and speech.
During discussions, Meta representatives explained how their algorithms and content moderation systems operate, the sources said. Officials noted that handling such sensitive matters involves complex "judgment calls" and technical "tweaks" to improve detection and removal of prohibited content. Ongoing conversations between the government and the platform are continuing as both sides work to align practices with India's regulatory framework.
The government's firm messaging appears to have prompted the technology company to reassess its policies on child safety, reflecting broader pressure from Indian regulators on social media platforms to strengthen protections for minors on their networks.