Meta has taken concrete action to increase sensitivity towards child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms following government intervention, according to latest IT Ministry sources. Speaking at a government conference in Delhi on 18 August, the official told Mint that 'sensitivity has increased on CSAM content' and that the company has demonstrated 'some action' in response to concerns raised by the government. The social media giant is being particularly cautious given that such material constitutes a clear violation of Indian law. The IT Ministry confirmed that Meta has shown greater sensitivity towards child sexual abuse material after government discussions, as reported by Business Standard. The company is actively working to deal with instances where previously flagged content resurfaces on its platforms, demonstrating increased commitment to content moderation standards. Meta has indicated it is working to prevent content already taken down (as unlawful) from repeatedly resurfacing, including through improvements to its filters, with sources describing the response as 'important and significant'. The message appears to have 'gone home', with such content not resurfacing so far and the company being more cautious on this front.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made clear that no safe harbour protection will be available for instances where platforms fail to meet applicable legal requirements, as reported by NDTV Profit. However, sources emphasized that the government is not seeking to censor social media platforms but wants them to ensure compliance with Indian law. The senior government official clarified that 'the concern is not about the government trying to censor or trying to keep out certain kinds of coverage' but rather ensuring that India's laws are followed and that social media platforms don't create situations adverse to societal norms. The IT Ministry sources told Business Standard that the Centre has been unequivocal that such content is a clear violation and there is no safe harbour when law is violated in this manner. The government's intent is not about censorship or restricting coverage in any way, but ensuring Indian laws and norms are followed, with sources noting 'The message has gone home'. Sources clarified that safe harbour removal per se is not done by an act of government, but in the court of law, with violation of Section 67 of IT Act potentially leading to prosecution.
According to sources reported by NDTV Profit, MeitY is exercising its statutory powers sparingly and is focused on ensuring that platforms fulfill their obligations. While platforms can potentially lose safe harbour protection for carrying prohibited content, whether safe harbour applies in a particular case is ultimately a matter for a court of law and depends on fulfillment of prescribed conditions. The government also believes that cultural context is important when platforms frame and enforce their content moderation policies in India. On AI labelling, the ministry official confirmed that the law is clear that synthetically generated content must be labelled, and that responsibility lies at three levels, including with platforms, as reported by Business Standard. The government has acted within India's constitutional and statutory framework, including through Section 69 A of the IT Act, which it has used sparingly where prescribed conditions are fulfilled.
During discussions with Meta, the company explained how its algorithms and systems work, with ministry sources noting that such matters involve 'judgment calls, and tweaks', according to PTI reports. The government's concerns over social media harms are not specific to India, as the senior official noted that 'this is a concern for many democracies. It's not a concern only for India. It's a concern for many Western liberal democracies'. On the WhatsApp username row, sources said the matter is under examination as it doesn't involve just that particular platform, but other messaging apps as well. WhatsApp, which has about 50 crore users in India, subsequently submitted its response and assured the government that the feature would not be rolled out until discussions conclude. The IT ministry has also issued notices to Telegram and Signal over their existing username features, seeking details on safeguards against fraud and impersonation. The official emphasized that 'we have to continue to watch, and these are things which overnight you can't say I'm fully satisfied with what they've done. We have to actually look at what really happens and what we see happening on social media'.
Meta's team led by its global affairs head Joel Kaplan had met IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and IT Secretary S Krishnan earlier this month, following the government's summons over the temporary restriction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post. In the rounds of discussions that followed, the Meta team apologised, and was asked by the government if it is adhering to Indian laws, grilled on algorithmic issues and guardrails meant to ensure that constitutional and legal requirements are being met. Meta had assured that it is indeed serious and 'working hard' to address concerns around deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, bots and synthetic content. The government's objective is to ensure Indian laws are followed and platforms do not create situations which are adverse to the country's social norms, while striking the right balance between the benefits platforms provide and risks, including addiction, gaming-related harms and CSAM. These concerns are not unique to India and several democracies, including Australia, the UK and France are grappling with similar issues, with platforms having a responsibility to mitigate such harms while recognising differing cultural contexts.
