Meta’s I4C Move Strengthens India’s Online Child Safety Framework

Meta will directly report child safety-related cases to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) cybercrime portal, the technology company said on Tuesday, amid growing scrutiny over the circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on social media platforms.

The move follows concerns in India over the alleged circulation and promotion of CSAM through advertisements on Instagram. The government has reiterated that protecting children online is a fundamental responsibility of every social media platform operating in the country.

Meta said protecting children across its platforms remains a priority and that it is committed to working with the Indian government to ensure that those involved in such offences are held accountable.

“To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cyber crime portal managed by I4C,” a Meta spokesperson said.

Government seeks stronger action from social media platforms

Social media platforms can be used to distribute or facilitate access to CSAM and other forms of child exploitation. Direct reporting to law enforcement authorities could help ensure that such cases are investigated beyond platforms' internal content-moderation systems.

The government has said more measures are needed and that discussions are continuing with other social media platforms to encourage the proactive identification and removal of harmful content. It has also warned that platforms could face action if they fail to adopt adequate measures to protect children online.

The development comes amid growing international scrutiny of social media companies over risks to children, including exposure to sexual exploitation, harmful content and online abuse.

In India, social media platforms are governed by the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which impose due-diligence obligations on intermediaries.

Meta recently faced further scrutiny after an investigation by the Tech Transparency Project alleged that Facebook and Instagram carried paid advertisements featuring CSAM, including AI-manipulated images of real children. The investigation reportedly identified more than 300 advertisements featuring AI-generated CSAM on Meta's platforms.