The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, sources said on Sunday.
India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to summon Meta regarding Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material, following a BBC investigation. This action comes shortly after the government also questioned Meta about WhatsApp's planned username feature, citing concerns over increased online fraud and cybercrimes.
Jharkhand CID arrested two individuals from Giridh district for circulating and selling online child sexual exploitative and abuse material to citizens of multiple foreign countries.
During the probe, it was found that Ram Bhawan, a resident of Naraini town in Banda district, had been living in a rented room in Chitrakoot district where the offences were committed, with his wife allegedly assisting him, the agency said.
India's IT Secretary S Krishnan announced an upcoming meeting with Meta's global team to address critical issues including lapses in tackling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), the temporary restriction of PM Modi's Facebook post, and concerns over synthetically generated information. The government expects Meta, as a leading tech company, to have robust systems to manage these challenges effectively.
Meta on Tuesday published a detailed blog outlining its efforts to combat child sexual abuse material across its apps, citing AI-powered detection, ad review systems and large-scale enforcement actions, days after the government issued a notice to the social media giant over reports of Instagram advertisements promoting such content.
The Indian IT Ministry has engaged in 'hard talk' with Meta regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM), leading to increased sensitivity and action from the tech giant. The government asserts that Indian laws must be followed and social media harms mitigated, with no safe harbour for violations. Discussions also covered AI labelling and the WhatsApp username issue, highlighting a global concern over social media harms.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has issued an apology for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, while company executives acknowledged significant content moderation failures, including issues with child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, and the paid boosting of certain content.
The Indian government is questioning whether Meta's recommendation systems and paid content promotion align with its status as an intermediary under the IT Act, raising concerns about the company's liability for content it actively decides to show users.
Maharashtra Cyber has arrested a Telegram-based seller, Adiraj Rajendra Bait, for allegedly dealing in Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM). The arrest followed an extensive investigation involving digital ecosystem monitoring, technical verification, and forensic analysis of the accused's mobile phone.
Experts urge internet platforms to adopt prevention-by-design and stronger AI systems to curb child sexual exploitation material and improve online child safety.
The government is questioning the visiting Meta team on whether the company is adhering to the law of the land, following summons to the social media giant over temporary restriction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post recently, sources said on Thursday.
Meta's global team met with top Indian IT Ministry officials following government summons regarding the temporary restriction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post and ongoing concerns about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and initiated procedures to place him on the international wanted list, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.
The Indian government has summoned Meta's global head of public policy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, addressing youth and promising action against paper leaks, was temporarily removed. Meta attributed the removal to a 'glitch' in its automated content filters, an explanation the government deems insufficient, demanding further discussions.
A former deputy head teacher of a London primary school has pleaded guilty to paying and instructing teenagers in India to abuse younger children.
A new report indicates a significant rise in reported sexual offences against children in India, but also highlights strong prosecution rates and detection systems.
A man in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills has been arrested for allegedly sharing obscene content on social media platforms. The accused, a resident of Williamnagar, is accused of uploading sexually explicit content targeting women using vulgar language. A case has been registered against him under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Government departments requested social media platforms to remove 2.44 lakh pieces of content between March and July, with states initiating 82% of these requests. The IT Intermediaries Rules 2021 were amended to reduce takedown time to three hours. The PIB Fact Check unit clarified its role in content moderation, refuting claims of automated blocking by Meta and emphasising the need to address lawlessness in cyberspace.
Messaging platform Telegram has submitted its reply to the IT Ministry's notice regarding its 'username' feature, which allows users to communicate without sharing phone numbers, following a similar submission by WhatsApp.
The Indian government has issued a notice to Telegram, demanding a crackdown on the widespread dissemination of pirated films and OTT content. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting seeks an Action Taken Report within 15 days, emphasizing a shift towards platform accountability for copyright infringement, which is deemed a criminal offence.
The central agency registered 23 separate cases on November 14 against 83 people allegedly involved in online child sexual abuse and exploitation, they said.
An Indian Parliamentary standing committee has demanded an apology from Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg within three days for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video from Facebook, threatening to withdraw immunity under the IT Act if he fails to comply. The committee also pushed for government action against Google India regarding financial fraud.
He is believed to have told that he was silently operating in the adjoining districts of Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot for last 10 years preying upon poor children between 5-16 years of age, the officials said.
Meta-owned WhatsApp has been granted more time to submit its response on the contentious 'username' feature and assured the government that it will not roll it out in India until discussions are complete, according to sources.
Meta-owned WhatsApp has submitted its reply to the government's notice on the "username" feature and the response is being examined, sources said on Thursday.
The government on Tuesday summoned a top Meta executive after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent post addressing India's youth and promising stringent measures against paper leaks was briefly restricted by Facebook, and although the US-headquartered social media giant blamed it on a technical glitch and apologised, the IT Ministry found the explanation "inadequate".
The Delhi Police has sent a notice to micro-blogging site Twitter seeking details about steps taken by it against circulation of child pornographic content on its platform, officials said.
The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that Parliament should seriously consider bringing an amendment to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for substituting the term 'child pornography' with 'child sexual exploitative and abuse material' with a view to reflect more accurately the reality of such offences.
The Delhi Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against Twitter for allegedly allowing access to child pornography on the microblogging platform on a complaint by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), officials said.
The Indian government has found vulgar, obscene and other unlawful content being uploaded on X that are in violation of local laws.
Microblogging platform X has implemented technological measures to prevent its Grok AI chatbot from generating images of real people in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal, following government pressure over obscene deepfakes.
A special court in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur on Tuesday sentenced a PhD scholar to five life imprisonments, to be served concurrently, for sexually assaulting minors and posting videos of the acts on the Internet to make money, officials said.
Sources told PTI that X has submitted their response, and it is under examination.
The United States Department of Justice released a batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation, including photos and records showing Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Michael Jackson in social settings with Epstein, CNN reported.
The government on Tuesday brought in stricter obligations for online platforms on handling AI-generated and synthetic content, including deepfakes, saying platforms such as X and Instagram must take down within three hours any such content flagged by a competent authority or courts.
A former deputy head teacher at a London primary school who had pleaded guilty to paying and instructing teenagers in India to abuse younger children was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday.
Govt said these amendments are aimed at discouraging the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent.
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday held that watching and downloading child pornography are offences under the POCSO Act and the information technology law.
X has accepted its mistake, and said it will comply with Indian laws, sources said, adding that in future, the platform will not allow obscene imagery.
