Government says Meta has stepped up action on CSAM, warns safe harbour will not cover violations: Report
Follow UsMeitY says Meta has shown increased sensitivity towards CSAM and is taking steps to filter unlawful content.
The government is also examining WhatsApp usernames and pushing platforms to account for India's linguistic and cultural context.
AI-generated content must be clearly labelled under India's 2026 intermediary rules, the government says.
The government has reportedly stated that Meta is taking more cautious approach towards child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms after recent discussions with company. The officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have also reportedly reiterated that platforms cannot rely on safe-harbour protection if they fail to comply with Indian laws.
SurveyAs per the reports, the government said its objective is not to censor social media platforms but to ensure that unlawful content is addressed and platforms follow India’s legal framework. “We have seen some action on the CSAM issue; the government is clear that there is no safe harbour if law is violated,” a MeitY official said as quoted by PTI.
Meta asked to improve content moderation
As per the reports, this came after meetings between Meta executives and Indian officials on August 5 and 6. Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan met IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior MeitY officials after the government raised concerns about CSAM, deepfakes, bot accounts and AI-generated content.
As per govt sources, Meta acknowledged limitations in its content moderation systems and said it was difficult to control all unlawful content given its volume. The ministry had also issued the company a notice after CSAM-related material appeared in paid Instagram advertisements.
The officials also reportedly referred to Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which provides intermediaries with protection from liability for third-party content if they meet prescribed due-diligence requirements. The government has made it clear that this protection is conditional on compliance with the law.
WhatsApp usernames under review
The report also added that the government is also examining WhatsApp’s upcoming username feature from an industry-wide perspective. WhatsApp plans to let users connect using usernames instead of directly sharing phone numbers.
The company has said there will be no searchable directory of usernames and users will need to know the exact handle to contact someone for the first time. The government said it will continue monitoring the issue.
