New Delhi: Meta has agreed to report child sexual abuse cases and other child-safety concerns directly to law enforcement agencies in India, government sources said on Tuesday.
The move follows discussions between the government and Meta over the handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms. Until now, Meta reported such cases to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which coordinates with authorities in other countries.
A Meta spokesperson said the company would now report child safety matters directly to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), adding that protecting children on its platforms remained a priority.
The development comes after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) summoned Meta executives in July following a BBC Eye investigation that alleged paid advertisements promoting CSAM on Instagram.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) subsequently initiated an inquiry and summoned Meta India representatives on September 9.
The National Human Rights Commission has also directed the Delhi Police to investigate the allegations and examine compliance with reporting obligations under the POCSO Act.
Government reports said discussions with other social media platforms are also underway to strengthen measures against harmful content involving children.
