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NEW DELHI: Government has made it clear that social media platforms are expected to strictly follow prescribed standard operating procedures while dealing with child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including timely reporting, coordination with law enforcement agencies and working through designated bodies such as the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).Officials told TOI that compliance with these procedures is a key responsibility for intermediaries operating in India and any lapses would invite action under the applicable legal framework.The comments come as the ministry of electronics and information technology examines Meta’s response to a notice over advertisements on Instagram allegedly promoting or facilitating access to CSAM.The Centre had issued the notice after reports highlighted such advertisements on Instagram, seeking an explanation on Meta’s ad review systems, content moderation processes and safeguards.IT secretary S Krishnan said Meta’s reply had been received and the next course of action would be decided after it is assessed.Officials, however, said the focus remains on whether the platform complied with its obligations for detecting, reporting and acting against such material.
