The Centre has reportedly expressed strong objections to the circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) during talks with Meta. According to a report, the government had a “hard talk” with the company on the issue and made it clear that the circulation of CSAM is a violation of Indian law and that such content does not qualify for safe-harbour protection.
The government maintained that its objective is only to ensure that Indian laws and norms are followed and that it does not intend to censor or restrict legitimate content in any way. The report quoted the IT Minister as saying that social media platforms have a responsibility to address online harms while striking the right balance.
Meanwhile, Meta reportedly explained its position providing details about how its algorithms and systems work. Government sources said deliberations on the issue are still underway, adding that such matters often involve judgment calls and adjustments to existing systems.
The discussions also focused on Meta’s content moderation mechanisms. The government stressed the need for greater sensitivity towards India’s linguistic and cultural diversity, with officials saying moderation teams cannot rely solely on global standards. They need a better understanding of Indian languages and cultural contexts when making decisions about content.
The talks also covered the issue of usernames on WhatsApp, which is currently under examination and is not limited to the platform alone. On AI labelling, a ministry official reportedly said that large-scale and sensitively generated AI content must be clearly labelled. The government said this is a matter of the “user’s right to know” whether the content they are viewing is genuine or AI-generated.
The government had also sought details from Meta about its safeguards and content moderation mechanisms, while stressing that material identified as unlawful or harmful should not continue to be recommended to users.