Meta takes action, increases sensitivity towards CSAM on platforms, govt official says ‘Message has gone home’

Meta has taken action and increased sensitivity towards child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms following concerns raised by the government, a senior government official with direct knowledge of the matter told Mint today.

Speaking at the sidelines of a government conference in Delhi on 18 August, the senior government official said they have “seen some action” from Meta Platforms adding that the “message has gone home”.

‘Sensitivity has increased on CSAM content’: Official

“One thing which I can say, and I think the sensitivity to which has actually increased, is on CSAM content. I think there we have seen some action, and I think that is very important and significant,” the government official told Mint.

He added, “We were unequivocal in saying that that CSAM content violated Indian law, and there is no safe harbour protection at all when you violate law in that fashion. That message has gone home, and at least from what we can see, that kind of content has not come up, and they are being cautious about that. I think that's important.”

‘Govt intent not to censor but ensure laws followed’

The official further sought to clarify that the government moves were not designed for censorship but aimed at ensuring that Indian laws are followed. “I think we need to be clear on this—the concern is not about the government trying to censor or trying to keep out certain kinds of coverage. I think that’s not the intent. The intent really is to ensure that India’s laws are followed, and to make sure that social media platforms don’t create a situation where it’s about what society, and Indian society and polity, need,” he said to Mint.

“We need to make sure that we don’t create situations that are adverse to our own social norms and the norms that, as a country, we need to follow. This is a concern for many democracies. It's not a concern only for India. It's a concern for many Western liberal democracies,” the senior official added.

‘Talks on, matters involve judgment calls and tweaks’

Earlier today PTI reported that the Centre was unequivocal in its talks with Meta that CSAM content is a clear violation and there would be no safe harbour. It cited sources from the IT Ministry who said that during discussions Meta representatives explained its algorithms and systems to the government. They added that talks are on and such matters involve “judgment calls, and tweaks”.

PTI further noted that on the WhatsApp username row, sources said the matter is under examination as it involves multiple messaging apps and not just Meta.

Further, on AI labelling, the sources told the news agency that the law is clear that synthetically generated content must be labelled, and that responsibility lies at three levels, one of which is the platforms, who must comply accordingly.

(With inputs from Agencies)