Meta tells NCPCR it will report child abuse content directly to Indian agencies

Meta India chief Arun Srinivas and other senior executives appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi on Wednesday, as the panel continued its inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to child sexual exploitative and abuse material on Instagram.

Government sources said Meta acknowledged a mistake during the hearing and agreed to directly report child abuse content to Indian law-enforcement agencies through the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. The company also indicated it would vet such material internally.

The proposed process would replace Meta’s earlier practice of routing child safety-related cases primarily through the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The commission had called Meta executives for a second hearing after their September 9 appearance. The inquiry has also examined the role of platform algorithms in determining which content users see. Srinivas did not respond to media queries after Wednesday’s meeting.

The reporting change would place Indian agencies directly in the chain for child safety-related cases flagged on Meta’s platforms.