Social media giant Meta Platforms, which is going through a turbulent period globally due to several lawsuits and complaints from governments over the addictive design of its platforms, is also facing an uphill battle in India.
On Tuesday, the company agreed to report cases of child sexual abuse and other child safety issues to relevant law enforcement agencies, marking the first step toward making the platform safe for children, with more to be done.
Meta for limiting harmful content and keeping children safe online
Government sources said: “Meta has agreed to report issues related to child safety to relevant law enforcement agencies,” and added: “This is the first step towards making platforms safe for children, and there is more to be done.”
This development comes at a time when the Center has stepped up its scrutiny of social media platforms for harmful and illegal content posted online, including child sexual abuse material and deepfakes, while continuously engaging with platforms to strengthen measures aimed at curbing such content.
With reference to government sources, the news agency PTI said that children’s online safety is a “fundamental principle” for any social network operating in the country and is absolutely “non-negotiable.” They also said the Center will act against platforms that do not provide adequate safeguards for children online, highlighting the government’s strong approach to holding platforms accountable for protecting minors from harmful content and activities.
In addition, the Center also interacts with several other online platforms to ensure that they proactively identify and remove such harmful content.
“Center” takes a tough stance against “Meta”, issues a notice
The Center had earlier issued a notice to the Indian social media giant on how it handles such content in the country. The company also recently summoned global executives to India as the government asked all platforms to act quickly to remove harmful content, strengthen protections and ensure greater accountability. These global leaders were also given a clear message that non-compliance will not be tolerated.
Amid these broader efforts to hold Meta accountable, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCCPCR) has also stepped up its scrutiny of the company for alleged child exploitation content.
NCPCR summons Meta India leaders
According to ANIMeta India executives appeared before the NCPCR on September 9 after the child rights body summoned the company’s managing director and head of Meta India in connection with an investigation into alleged advertisements containing child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM).
The NCPCR took suo motu cognizance and launched its own investigation after a BBC Eye report mentioned alleged advertisements on Meta-owned platforms. On July 3, the child rights body sent a notice to Meta asking it to respond to the allegations.
Following the challenge, the social media giant submitted its response within a week. ANI reported.
Additionally, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had earlier directed the Delhi Police to conduct a detailed investigation into allegations that several paid advertisements on the company’s Instagram platform were promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in India.
In addition, the Commission has also directed the police to examine whether the tech giant and other relevant organizations are complying with mandatory reporting obligations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.