E-Paper
Centre introduces SOPs to remove non-consensual intimate images online
The new SOPs will mandate social media platforms and law enforcement agencies to remove non-consensual intimate images within 24 hours of reporting.
The Union government has introduced Standard Operating Procedures requiring social media platforms and law enforcement agencies to remove non-consensual intimate images within 24 hours of reporting, marking a significant shift in how India addresses online sexual abuse.
Approved by the Madras high court on October 22, the SOPs for the first time mandate that platforms and police keep victims informed throughout the removal process and alert them if the content resurfaces. They also direct authorities to provide legal assistance and psychological counselling upon request.
The move follows directions from the High Court, which in August asked the ministry of electronics and information technology to clearly outline what victims should do if their private images are circulated online.
The guidelines establish multiple reporting channels: victims can flag content through social media platforms’ abuse buttons, designated grievance officers, the national cybercrime reporting portal, or directly to police. If dissatisfied with the response, they can appeal online to the Grievance Appellate Committee.
To prevent re-uploads, intermediaries must deploy “crawlers” and “hash-matching” technologies. Platforms are required to share flagged content hashes with Meity’s Sahyog Portal and the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to create a secure national “hash bank.”
The SOPs operationalise Rule 3(2)(b) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which already mandates content removal.
Senior counsel Abudu Kumar Rajarathinam, appearing for Meity, told the court that victims previously had to navigate the process alone, “unaware of where to start.” The SOPs transform what was a “patchy system into a structured redressal mechanism” through inter-agency coordination, the government said.
Police receiving complaints must now report content on the NCRP and Sahyog portals and connect victims to One Stop Centres for support.
The framework emerged from the High Court’s August directions while hearing a petition by a woman advocate whose former partner had recorded and shared her private images online without consent. Despite multiple takedowns, the content kept resurfacing, prompting the court to demand urgent systemic solutions.
The government subsequently formed a committee headed by a joint secretary with representatives from the ministries of Home Affairs, Women and Child Development, Communications, and MeitY, along with cyber law experts and nodal officers.
Justice M Dhandapani, presiding over the matter, observed that the SOPs “take into consideration the contingent situation of victims” and provide multiple routes for action. He directed the government to widely publicise the guidelines through print and electronic media so victims know their rights and remedies.
The court emphasised that protecting the dignity of women and children was central to the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
