After Meta, Google to report CSAM directly to Indian authorities

Google will report content flagged as child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, following a similar move by Meta. The change comes amid government pressure on major technology firms to speed up reporting and concerns over delays.

New Delhi: After Meta, US tech giant Google will report content flagged as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to Indian authorities, contrary to the long-standing global practice of routing such reports through a US non-profit organisation.

Meta announced a similar change last week after Indian officials pressed major tech firms in recent weeks to speed up reporting, citing concerns that the existing system delays reports considerably.

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Google “invests significantly to detect, deter, remove, and report child sexual abuse material,” a company spokesperson said, describing the change as part of the company’s “ongoing discussions with the government of India.” Meta and Alphabet’s Google used to send tips to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which then relayed them to local law enforcement, according to reports.

Such a practice could cause dangerous delays in cases where children may be at immediate risk as reports pass through an intermediary before reaching domestic police who can act on the ground.

The US non-profit that erstwhile used to receive such reports first-hand runs the CyberTipline portal, which recorded nearly 21.3 million reports from around the world of 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 shift in policy comes after weeks of friction with New Delhi, including an apology last month by CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of child sexual abuse material on the company’s platforms.

Technology and law enforcement officials in the United States, the European Union and elsewhere have urged platforms to bolster detection and reporting. However, most countries continue to route reports through the US non-profit as the primary international clearing house.

The Central government, in July, directed Google to take down multiple Firebase web development accounts that were impersonating the websites and mobile apps of major public- and private-sector banks and other financial institutions.