Centre issues notice to social media platforms to remove child sexual abuse content

Centre issued notices to social media intermediaries X, Youtube and Telegram, warning them to remove Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from their platforms.

The Centre on Friday issued notices to social media intermediaries - X, Youtube, and Telegram - to remove child sexual abuse material from their platforms in India. According to a statement by Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajiv Chandrasekhar, if the social media platforms do not act swiftly, their “safe harbour under section 79 of the IT Act would be withdrawn” - implying that they can directly be prosecuted under the applicable laws and rules even though the content may have not been uploaded by them.

Centre's notice to social media platforms to remove child sexual abuse content (Bloomberg/Representational image)

“The notices served to these platforms emphasize the importance of prompt and permanent removal or disabling of access to any CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on their platforms. They also call for the implementation of proactive measures, such as content moderation algorithms and reporting mechanisms, to prevent the dissemination of CSAM in the future,” a statement by the ministry read.

Notably, the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, provides the legal framework for addressing pornographic content, including child sexual abuse content. The sections 66E, 67, 67A, and 67B of the IT Act impose stringent penalties and fines for the online transmission of obscene or pornographic content.

According to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the government is “determined to build a safe and trusted internet under the IT rules.”

“The IT rules under the IT Act lays down strict expectations from social media intermediaries that they should not allow criminal or harmful posts on their platforms,” he added in a statement.

Meanwhile, in April this year, India was among the top countries requesting X (formerly Twitter) to remove content related to abuse or harassment, child sexual exploitation, hacked materials, hateful conduct, impersonation, non-consensual nudity, perpetrators of violent attacks, private information, promoting suicide or self-harm, sensitive media, terrorism/violent extremism, and violence. The other countries were France, Japan, and Germany.