Meta Steps Up Action Against Child Porn, Govt Sources Say Amid Social Media Row

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing talks between the central government and Meta regarding Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on social media platforms, the government has said that the company is now more cautious about such content than before. According to government sources, Meta has intensified its efforts to identify illegal CSAM content and remove it from the platform. Also, the government has clarified that people involved in such illegal activities will not get the benefit of legal safe harbour protection.

What steps has Meta taken regarding CSAM?

According to government sources, in recent meetings, Meta has shown more caution regarding the content related to CSAM. The company is working on improving its systems to filter and prevent access to illegal content. This issue is also important because the government has previously expressed concern to Meta regarding alleged CSAM-related content on Instagram.

What did the government say about Safe Harbour?

The government has sent a clear message to Meta that Safe Harbour protection cannot be used in cases of CSAM-related law violations. Under Safe Harbour, social media intermediaries get some legal protection for the content posted by users, but this protection is linked to compliance with the conditions set in the law. The government says that this protection cannot be claimed in case of illegal activities.

Does the government want to censor content?

Government sources have said that the government does not aim to suppress legitimate expression or impose censorship on social media. The government's concern is that the platforms should not allow such situations to arise which will adversely affect the social fabric of the country. According to officials, the action taken by the government so far has been within the ambit of existing legal and statutory provisions.

Why is emphasis being given on understanding the languages and culture of India?

The government has raised another important issue regarding Meta's content moderation system. Officials say that in a multilingual and culturally diverse country like India, merely reviewing content based on global moderation standards is not enough. Moderation teams should have a better understanding of Indian languages, local contexts and cultural sensitivities.

Does the government also keep an eye on AI generated content?

The interaction between the government and Meta is not limited to just CSAM. The issue of clearly labeling synthetic content generated from AI is also under discussion. The government wants users to be able to know whether the content in front of them is genuine or artificially created. Officials have linked this to the 'right to know' of the users.

Is discussion also going on about WhatsApp usernames?

The issue of WhatsApp usernames is also part of the talks between the government and Meta. However, the government is not considering this as a matter related only to Meta. According to officials, this issue is being looked at from the perspective of the entire messaging industry because, in future such rules may apply to other messaging platforms also.

Will the talks with Meta continue further?

The government has indicated that dialogue and monitoring with Meta will continue. Apart from CSAM, issues like deepfakes, AI-generated content, bot accounts and content moderation have also been discussed in recent meetings. The government's emphasis is on the fact that global platforms should give adequate importance to the laws of India as well as the linguistic and cultural conditions here in their moderation system.