Meta to Report Child Safety Cases Directly to India’s Cybercrime Authorities
Meta has agreed to report child safety cases directly to India’s cybercrime authorities through the portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), strengthening coordination with law enforcement agencies in cases involving child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The move comes amid increased scrutiny of Meta following allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted or facilitated access to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The government had earlier directed Meta to remove such advertisements and sought an explanation on how they appeared on the platform and what safeguards were in place to prevent their recurrence.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have also taken action over the allegations.
Meta has previously said it uses automated systems and specialist teams to detect and remove child exploitation content. It has also stated that such cases are reported to law enforcement through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), with reports from India routed to the national cybercrime portal.
The latest commitment establishes a more direct reporting mechanism. The government has described it as an initial step, with discussions with other social media platforms continuing.
Authorities have reiterated that protecting children online is a non-negotiable responsibility and warned that platforms failing to take adequate proactive measures could face action.
