Centre tightens rules to curb online child abuse

The Story in Brief

The central government has set up a coordinated institutional framework to prevent, detect and combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the Women and Child Development Ministry told the Rajya Sabha. The authorities have launched the Sahyog portal to expedite notices to IT intermediaries for removal or disabling of unlawful online content, including Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM). The Ministry said the effort involves the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs, supported by laws such as the POCSO Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023), the Information Technology Act (2000) and the IT Rules (2021).

Amendments to the IT Rules now address synthetically generated information, including deepfakes, and require intermediaries to remove unlawful content within three hours of a competent court order or a reasoned intimation from the Appropriate Government or its authorised agency. The government runs an Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) project; 6,650 awareness workshops have reached more than 11.37 lakh participants. The MHA operates a National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal with a focus on crimes against children and has set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). The NCPCR coordinates with I4C and MeitY and issues guidance documents on online safety and school security.

The Indian Opinion

The government’s account lists many institutional steps, legal provisions and outreach activities. Readers should note that official descriptions of systems and workshops do not by themselves show how quickly or widely harmful content is being taken down, or how effectively cases are investigated and prosecuted. The three‑hour removal requirement for intermediaries is a clear standard, but its real‑world effect depends on timely court or authorised‑agency orders and the capacity of platforms to comply.

Large numbers of awareness workshops suggest broad outreach, yet the article gives no data on outcomes such as reductions in incidents or measures of victim support. Claims that the framework is “comprehensive” reflect policy intent; independent evaluation and reporting would be needed to judge operational impact and any gaps in detection, reporting and prosecution.

Original article: Centre sharpens fight against online child abuse (economictimes.indiatimes.com)

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