Senior executives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, appeared before India's child rights body, NCPCR, for questioning regarding alleged advertisements promoting child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on its platforms. This follows a BBC report and a stern notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to Meta over the issue.
Top Meta India executives, including chief Arun Srinivas, appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for the second time in a week regarding alleged Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) related advertisements on its platforms. Meta has committed to reporting child safety matters directly to India's I4C cybercrime portal, a significant shift from its previous practice of reporting to a US-based centre. The government is pushing for stronger safeguards and accountability from social media platforms to ensure online child safety.
The company's India head, Arun Srinivas, has been summoned by the child rights body on Thursday.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Chennai has registered a new case under the POCSO Act against granite baron R Veeramani, following a complaint from the mother of a minor girl. This development comes as Veeramani's judicial custody was extended, and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) announced a fact-finding visit. The case has led to significant public outcry and action against police officers for alleged inaction.
Government sources state that Meta, due to its algorithmic amplification of content, can no longer be considered a "simple intermediary" but rather a "service provider," implying greater responsibility and potential loss of legal immunity. This shift comes as Meta commits to directly reporting child abuse content to Indian law enforcement, amidst increasing government scrutiny over harmful online content and algorithmic bias.
Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters, including child sexual abuse cases, to appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, government sources confirmed, emphasising that online safety for children is a "non-negotiable" fundamental principle for social media platforms operating in the country.
The top court said the NCPCR was empowered to conduct enquiry and take action in accordance with law under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
Contradictory statements from officials have surfaced regarding the post mortem examination in the case of two infants who died after being bitten by rats at a government-run hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The incident has triggered investigations and disciplinary actions.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo also asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to initiate an inquiry in the matter and take necessary action against the airline and its manager.
A case was registered by the police after the teen lodged a formal complaint.
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.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo, who is in Jharkhand with his team to probe the death of two minor girls in Dumka, claimed on Monday that the state government was "trying to obstruct investigations".
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.
In its letter, the commission also observed that the image allegedly uploaded by the leaders was in order to divert attention in the ongoing/pending investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation against Manish Sisodia".
Gandhi on Wednesday met the family of the nine-year-old girl and asserted that he is with them on the path to justice and "will not back down even an inch".
The apex court said that 'satisfactory progress' has been made by the Executive in identifying children who have either become orphans or have lost one of their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Muzaffarpur District Registration Officer Sanjay Kumar, the orders to freeze the bank accounts and ban the sale or purchase of any movable or immovable assets of the Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti were passed by District Magistrate Mohammad Sohail on August 7 and 8.
"We have no idea what is happening in reality shows when children participate. These kids are below 15 years. These reality shows are harming kids' psyche and their future, too. If they want to continue, then there has to be proper guidelines laid down by the government for them to follow."
