Supreme Court of India probes social media reporting of child abuse material

The Supreme Court of India has raised concerns regarding the failure of social media platforms to comply with mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

A petition alleges that instead of reporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to Indian law enforcement or the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), some platforms are reporting such incidents to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States. The court has requested the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Law and Justice to file counter-affidavits regarding these allegations.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on September 24.