CSAM REGULATIONS
Social media norms, AI, deepfakes, chips among others on review list of parliamentary panel in 2026-27
The development comes as several incidents of age-inappropriate content, circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and alleged censorship on social media have been reported widely.
Government to ask Meta if US child safety defaults will extend to India as well
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been having regular meetings with Meta on technical measures since last month when Meta’s global executives were summoned to India over a host of issues, including the spread of child abuse content online.
NHRC seeks reports from MeitY, MIB, Delhi Police over Instagram CSAM ads
The commission took cognizance of the issue under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, after considering media reports published by the BBC. According to the NHRC notice, a copy of which ET has seen, the advertisements allegedly used phrases such as “rape video” and “child video” and redirected users to Telegram channels where such material was allegedly offered for sale.
ETtech Explainer | Meta’s $17.1 billion toll shifts focus from content to product design
Meta is now dealing with a substantial settlement in the United States in response to mounting child safety issues. This agreement is the result of claims regarding addictive design elements and the mental health implications for younger users. Countries around the world are tightening regulations on social media for minors, with India also contemplating age restrictions and scrutinising platform design.
India asks Meta to revamp algorithms, submit roadmap to fight deepfakes
MeitY has directed Meta to revamp algorithms and provide a compliance roadmap. Officials also asked Meta to tighten content moderation and act faster on takedown requests. The directive came after Meta admitted gaps in its current systems for harmful content. Discussions focused on algorithmic changes to limit propaganda and manipulated media spread.
Meta officials meet govt over PM Modi video takedown; panel seeks Zuckerberg apology
A parliamentary panel has demanded Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologise within three days. The panel recommended losing safe harbour protection if the company fails to comply. The government met with Meta's global leadership to discuss multiple issues and concerns. These discussions will cover the Prime Minister's post and child abuse material. Meta's explanation for the post restriction was deemed inadequate by the ministry.
Meta to meet MeitY officials over CSAM, AI content, compliance with Indian laws: S Krishnan
Meta executives will meet Indian IT ministry officials this week. They will discuss child abuse material and AI-generated content issues. The government seeks explanations for existing safeguards not working as intended. This meeting follows increased scrutiny of Meta's compliance with Indian regulations. India is also developing its own AI evaluation platform.
India summons Meta global team on Aug 5-6 over PM Modi post, CSAM concern
India's government will meet Meta's global team on August 5 and 6. Officials will question the company regarding child abuse material and account safeguards. The meeting follows a temporary restriction of Prime Minister Modi's Facebook post. Meta representatives offered an apology for the Prime Minister's post incident. The government seeks to understand ongoing platform lapses and challenges.
Government says social media platforms must follow SOPs on child abuse material
Social media platforms must follow child abuse material reporting standards. Timely reporting and law enforcement coordination are key responsibilities. The government is examining Meta's response to Instagram ad concerns. Officials stated platform compliance with detection and reporting obligations is crucial. Future actions will be decided after assessing Meta's reply.
Meta CSAM breach triggers calls for digital safety rules overhaul
The notice to Meta has put the spotlight on India’s intermediary liability framework, triggering the question whether it is equipped to deal with paid advertisements that platforms actively review, target and monetise, unlike user-generated content they merely host.
Ashwini Vaishnaw directs MeitY to summon Meta regarding Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material
India's IT Ministry has summoned Meta over allegations that Instagram ads promoted child sexual abuse material. Officials are also concerned about WhatsApp's usernames feature being used for phishing and scams, prompting a demand for a pause on the feature's rollout. Meanwhile, the government is also investigating a cyberattack at Tata Electronics and considering an independent law for AI regulation.
Meta ends end-to-end encryption for Instagram DMs: what this means
Instagram had introduced the optional end-to-end encryption in December 2023. Users had to enable it manually per chat, unlike the default encryption available on WhatsApp or Messenger. After May 8, these chats will revert to the unencrypted mode, giving Meta access to content for scanning and moderation. The move follows Instagram prioritising safety over secrecy, amid lawsuits over platform harms.
Govt amends IT rules, with focus on AI content
The amendments to the IT Act has the potential to cause convulsions in the social media industry, as the new laws slash the timeline to take down flagged unlawful content to three hours, from the existing deadline of 36 hours.
Cobranded credit card rush; threat of complete ban on offshore crypto apps
Happy Friday! Banks are pushing the pedal on their cobranded credit card strategy as they gain traction through large consumer facing internet companies. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch
Deepfake: Actress Alia Bhatt morphed video gets attention online; increases concern over misuse of technology
Actress Alia Bhatt is the latest victim of deepfake video. The video has gotten the attention of people online who have pointed out the real source of the video. Government has ordered action to fight deepfake issue.
Social media companies have seven days to tweak terms of use around deepfakes: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Intermediaries will have to “explicitly” warn users that they cannot “host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share” any content that belongs to someone else, is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic or invasive of another user’s privacy.
No child sexual abuse material detected on our platform: YouTube after govt notice
The statement from YouTube spokesperson came after the government issued notices to social media platforms, including YouTube, X and Telegram, earlier this month asking them to takedown child sexual abuse material from their platforms in India.
Telegram bans 2,114 groups, channels related to child abuse
The instant messaging platform is one of three entities to which the government on Friday issued notices to remove child sexual abuse material in India.
YouTube, Telegram respond to IT Ministry's notice on child sexual abuse material
Google-owned YouTube and encrypted messaging platform Telegram on Saturday responded to the IT Ministry's notice to remove any kind of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or face stringent action, saying they have a "zero-tolerance policy" on CSAM and related content.
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