Meta not just an 'intermediary', has greater responsibility: Govt

Government officials made the comments a day after Meta agreed to report child safety-related matters directly to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

The Indian government is disinclined to treat Meta as simply an intermediary, PTI reported Wednesday, quoting government officials.

“Meta could no longer be viewed simply as an intermediary because its algorithms amplify content and determine its visibility,” sources told PTI.

Service providers have several responsibilities, and Meta will have to take greater responsibility after agreeing to directly report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to Indian law enforcement agencies, government sources told PTI on Wednesday.

The comments came a day after Meta agreed to report child safety-related matters directly to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Until now, the company had primarily reported such cases to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

According to PTI, government sources said Meta had admitted to a mistake in handling child abuse content and has now committed to reporting such material to Indian law enforcement agencies.