Google to report child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities
New Delhi: After Meta, US tech giant Google will report content flagged as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to Indian authorities, moving away from the long-standing global practice of routing such reports through a US-based non-profit organisation.
Meta announced a similar change last week after Indian officials pressed major technology companies in recent weeks to speed up reporting, citing concerns that the existing system could significantly delay reports.
Google “invests significantly to detect, deter, remove, and report child sexual abuse material,” a company spokesperson said, describing the move as part of its “ongoing discussions with the government of India”.
Meta and Google, owned by Alphabet, previously sent reports of suspected CSAM to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which then relayed them to local law enforcement, according to reports.
The system could result in dangerous delays in cases where children face an immediate risk, as reports have to pass through an intermediary before reaching domestic police who can take action on the ground.
NCMEC, the US non-profit that previously received such reports directly, operates the CyberTipline portal. The platform recorded nearly 21.3 million reports from around the world involving suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025.
India remains the largest market by user count for both Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube.
Meta’s policy shift came after weeks of friction with New Delhi, including an apology last month from CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of child sexual abuse material on the company’s platforms.
Technology and law enforcement officials in the US, the European Union and elsewhere have urged online platforms to strengthen the detection and reporting of such material. However, most countries continue to route reports through NCMEC as the primary international clearing house.
In July, the Central government also directed Google to take down multiple Firebase web development accounts that were impersonating the websites and mobile applications of major public- and private-sector banks and other financial institutions.
With IANS inputs