Google Shifts Reporting of Child Abuse Material Directly to Indian Authorities

Google has agreed to report detected child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, moving away from its previous practice of sending such reports to a US nonprofit organization first.

The decision comes after similar moves by Meta and pressure from Indian officials who believe the current system can significantly delay responses to such cases.

A spokesperson for Google said the company invests heavily in detecting, preventing the spread of, removing, and reporting child sexual abuse material, and the proposal to notify Indian authorities directly is part of ongoing discussions with the government.

The Indian government has urged technology companies to provide law enforcement directly with information about child abuse material linked to India, citing concerns over delayed responses that may put children in immediate danger.

Meta's decision to report directly to Indian authorities came after several weeks of strained relations with the country's officials, including an apology from CEO Mark Zuckerberg for sharing child sexual abuse material on Meta's platforms last month.