Meta has agreed to directly report child safety-related cases to Indian cybercrime authorities, marking a significant change in its cooperation with Indian law enforcement agencies amid heightened government scrutiny of social media platforms over child sexual abuse material (CSEAM) and other harmful online content.
The company will now report such cases to the cybercrime portal operated by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), creating a direct reporting channel with Indian authorities.
A Meta spokesperson stated that child protection is a top priority for the company, adding that it is committed to partnering with the government to hold perpetrators accountable.
Until now, Meta had been reporting child safety cases through the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Its decision to establish a direct reporting mechanism with India is being viewed as a significant step in cooperation between the company and Indian law enforcement.
The move comes as the Centre presses major technology platforms to strengthen safeguards for children and proactively detect and remove CSEAM, deepfakes and other illegal content.
Government sources have described child safety as a “fundamental principle” for platforms operating in India and said it was “non-negotiable”. Platforms that fail to take adequate proactive measures could face action, they indicated.
The latest development follows increased regulatory scrutiny of Meta in India.
In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta over alleged advertisements on Instagram promoting or facilitating access to CSEAM. The ministry directed Instagram to disable the advertisements and related content and sought an explanation from the company.
Several rounds of discussions subsequently took place between government officials and Meta executives. During these meetings, the Centre reportedly emphasised that content involving child sexual exploitation and abuse violates Indian law and cannot claim protection under intermediary safe-harbour provisions.
Earlier this month, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) summoned Meta India’s managing director and its head of India in connection with an inquiry into alleged CSEAM-related advertisements.
The government has, however, indicated that direct reporting alone will not be sufficient. Platforms are expected to develop systems capable of proactively identifying and removing illegal content involving children.
The Centre is also engaging with other technology platforms as part of its broader efforts to strengthen online child safety and tackle CSEAM, deepfakes and other harmful content.
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