The government has reportedly expressed strong objection to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in its talks with Meta and the communication has led to action and increased sensitivity on the issue.
Platforms have a responsibility to address social media harms and strike the right balance, the report quoted IT ministry sources as saying. Meanwhile, Meta also clarified its position during talks and explained how its algorithms and systems work. Alleged lapses by social media intermediaries in complying with safeguards against child sexual exploitation also came up during a recent Supreme Court hearing. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran put the government on notice and sought response on a plea flagging concerns over protection of children from online sexual exploitation.
The government had a “hard talk” with Meta on the issue and has clarified that circulation of CSAM content is a clear violation and there is no safe harbour in such cases, according to a report by news agency PTI. The government explained to Meta that it only intends to ensure that Indian laws and norms are followed and that it doesn’t want to censor or restrict coverage in any way, according to the report. The report quoted government as saying that deliberations on this front are underway and such matters involve “judgment calls, and tweaks”. The court said the issues brought before it were a matter of “serious concern” and merited its “full and anxious consideration”.
