NCPCR summons Meta India MD and Head over child sexual abuse material ads, hearing tomorrow

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned Meta India MD and Head again to institute a formal inquiry to determine the facts of the alleged child abuse cases. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16. Representatives of Meta India earlier appeared before the NCPCR on September 9.  

NCPCR's persistent follow-up on the CSAM matter has prompted Meta to revise its policy on reporting child sexual abuse cases. The Tech giant has agreed to report cases of child sexual abuse and other child safety-related matters to the appropriate law enforcement agencies as the Centre continues its engagement with social media platforms over harmful content online. The government has made it clear that the safety of children on digital platforms is a key requirement for social media



companies operating in India and said there would be no compromise on the issue.

"Online safety of children is a fundamental principle for any social media platform to operate in India and it is non-negotiable," news agency ANI reported, citing government sources. According to the sources, Meta's decision to report child safety-related matters to law enforcement authorities is an initial move towards strengthening safeguards for children using digital platforms. However, the government has indicated that more measures will be required to make online platforms safer for children.

"Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. It is a first step towards making the platforms safe for children and much more needs to be done," the sources said.