Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and IT has issued notices to social media intermediaries X, YouTube and Telegram, warning them to remove Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from their platforms on the Indian internet.

The Ministry has also warned the three social media intermediaries that any delay in complying with the notices will result in the withdrawal of their safe harbor protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, which currently shields them from legal liability.

The notices served to these platforms emphasize the importance of prompt and permanent removal or disabling of access to any CSAM on their platforms. They also call for the implementation of proactive measures, such as content moderation algorithms and reporting mechanisms, to prevent the dissemination of CSAM in the future, as per MEITY. These notices from MEITY stated that non-compliance with these requirements will be deemed a breach of Rule 3(1)(b) and Rule 4(4) of the IT Rules, 2021.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, said, “We have sent notices to X, Youtube and Telegram to ensure there are no Child Sexual Abuse Material that exist on their platforms. The Government is determined to build a safe and trusted internet under the IT rules. The IT rules under the IT Act lays down strict expectations from social media intermediaries that they should not allow criminal or harmful posts on their platforms. If they do not act swiftly, their safe harbor under section 79 of the IT Act would be withdrawn and consequences under the Indian law will follow.”

The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, provides the legal framework for addressing pornographic content, including CSAM. Sections 66E, 67, 67A, and 67B of the IT Act impose penalties and fines for the online transmission of obscene or pornographic content.