India has issued notices to social media giants, including X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Telegram, instructing them to eliminate child sexual abuse material from their platforms, the government announced on Friday.
The government warned that these companies could lose their legal liability protection if they fail to comply with the directive, according to an official statement.
The notices, dispatched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), stressed the urgency of promptly and permanently removing any content related to child sexual abuse from their platforms.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar, India’s junior minister for Information Technology, stated, “If they do
not act swiftly, their safe harbor under section 79 of the IT Act would be withdrawn and consequences under Indian law will follow,” underscoring the seriousness of the matter.
Chandrashekhar has been a vocal advocate for eliminating harmful content from the Indian internet, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s commitment to creating a secure and trustworthy online environment under the IT rules.
As of now, representatives for X (formerly Twitter) and Google, the owner of YouTube, as well as Telegram, have not responded to Reuters’ requests for comments.
In addition to removing existing content, the notices also call on these companies to implement proactive measures such as content moderation algorithms and reporting mechanisms to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material in the future, as outlined in the government’s statement.
Notably, this development follows India’s previous move in July, where it urged online streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney to undergo independent reviews for obscenity and violence in their content before making it available online.
