Meta says it will begin reporting child safety cases directly to Indian authorities, marking a change in how the technology company handles suspected child exploitation cases in the country following scrutiny over harmful material appearing on its platforms.
The move follows a BBC Eye investigation published in July that found paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, had appeared on Instagram in India. The findings prompted the Indian government to order Meta to remove advertisements and content promoting such material from its platforms.
Meta said protecting children remains a priority and that it intends to work with Indian authorities to help ensure perpetrators are held accountable. Under the new arrangement, the company says it will report child safety matters directly to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre’s cybercrime portal.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, commonly known as I4C, operates under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and coordinates efforts to combat cybercrime across the country.
Meta has not yet specified when the direct reporting system will begin, exactly which categories of cases will be covered or how the process will operate in practice.
Until now, Meta has said that when it identifies apparent child exploitation, it reports the material to the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC, in accordance with its legal obligations. NCMEC operates a centralized reporting system and forwards relevant information to law enforcement authorities in other countries.
Direct reporting to India’s cybercrime system could allow Indian authorities to receive information more quickly rather than relying solely on reports being routed through the U.S.-based organization.
The change comes amid growing pressure on Meta from the Indian government, child-rights organizations and other institutions over how child sexual abuse material could be circulated, promoted or monetized through social media platforms.
India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights sought explanations and documents from Meta following the investigation before opening a formal inquiry and summoning the managing director and country head of Meta India.
India’s National Human Rights Commission has separately issued notices to two government ministries. Its inquiry is examining whether platform systems played a role in selecting, distributing, amplifying or monetizing the material.
Just Rights for Children, a network representing more than 250 organizations, has also cited the investigation in a petition before India’s Supreme Court. The group has asked the court to direct social media companies to identify and report people promoting child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities.
The decision by Meta represents a potentially significant change in cooperation between major social media platforms and Indian law enforcement. However, key details surrounding the implementation and scope of the direct-reporting mechanism have yet to be announced.
