Government sent notice to X, YouTube and Telegram, child sexual exploitation content will have to be removed from the platform

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrashekhar said that action will be taken against those who do not comply with the rules.

New Delhi:

The government has issued notices to social media platforms ‘X’ (earlier Twitter), YouTube and Telegram to remove child sexual abuse material from their platforms in India. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajiv Chandrashekhar said that if social media companies do not act swiftly, their ‘protection’ under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act will be withdrawn. This means that these platforms can be prosecuted under directly applicable laws and regulations. Even if they have not uploaded the content.

The statement said, “The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a notice to social media companies X, YouTube and Telegram. In this, they have been warned to remove Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from their platforms on the Indian Internet. The notices given to these platforms emphasize the importance of removing any CSAM or disabling access to them with immediate effect.

The ministry said that non-compliance with the notice will be considered as a violation of Rule 3(1)(b) and Rule 4(4) of the IT Rules, 2021. The ministry has warned the three social media intermediaries that any delay in complying with the notice will lead to withdrawal of the protection given to them under Section 79 of the IT Act, which currently protects them from legal liability.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT, said, “The government is committed to creating a safe and reliable internet under the IT rules. The rules laid down under the IT Act place strict expectations on social media intermediaries to ensure that they maintain their “Criminal or harmful posts should not be allowed on the platform.”

The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 has provisions to ban obscene material, including child sexual abuse material. Under Sections 66E, 67, 67A and 67B of the IT Act, provisions have been made for strict penalties and fines for online broadcasting of obscene or indecent material.

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