Government officials said content created using artificial intelligence should carry clear labels so users know whether what they are seeing is genuine or has been artificially generated.
Published: August 18, 2026, 1:27 PM IST
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‘No safe harbour if…’: Govt warns Meta over CSAM, seeks greater sensitivity to India’s culture, languages (Image: AI/generic)
The Indian government has told Meta that it cannot claim safe-harbour protection if its platforms are found to be involved in violations related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM)Officials said the government has noticed that Meta has taken steps to identify and remove illegal CSAM-related contentHowever, the Centre has made it clear that platforms must follow Indian laws and could lose legal protection if those laws are breached.
Government’s message to Meta
Sources in the IT Ministry said the government has made its position clear during discussions with Meta officialsThe Centre said safe-harbour protection would not apply where there is a violation of the lawSafe harbour generally protects online platforms from being held directly responsible for content posted by their users, subject to legal conditions.
Focus on India’s languages and culture
The government also raised concerns about how Meta’s content moderation systems work in India.
Officials said platforms should take India’s different languages, cultures and social conditions into account instead of depending only on moderation rules designed for global audiences.
Meta’s algorithms under discussion
The talks also covered how Meta’s algorithms and other systems decide what content users see or what material is removed.
Officials were briefed about the way these systems operateReports said some decisions made by the platforms involve human judgement rather than being based entirely on automated processes.
Centre says it is not trying to censor internet
On wider regulation of social media platforms, the government said its aim is not to censor the internet or silence online users.
Instead, officials said the focus is on making sure social media companies follow Indian laws and take steps to reduce content that could cause harm to society.
The Centre maintained that its actions against platforms are being taken within the existing legal and regulatory framework.
WhatsApp username plan under review
The government is also looking into WhatsApp’s proposed username featureHowever, officials said the issue is not being considered as a problem specific to Meta or WhatsApp.
According to PTI sources, the Centre is studying the matter from a wider industry perspective because similar concerns could arise on other messaging platforms tooThe government will continue to monitor how the feature develops, sources said.
Government wants AI content clearly labelled
The use of AI-generated and digitally created content was also discussed during the talks.
Government officials said content created using artificial intelligence should carry clear labels so users know whether what they are seeing is genuine or has been artificially generated.
The Centre believes such disclosure is important because users should have the right to understand the nature and source of the content they consume online.
India says platform rules must consider local context
The government has also pointed out that concerns over the regulation of large technology companies are not limited to IndiaOfficials noted that several Western democracies have also been debating how major social media and technology platforms should be regulated.
According to ANI sources, India’s different social and cultural conditions need to be considered while framing rules for online platforms.
At the same time, the government said freedom of speech in India is subject to reasonable restrictions allowed under the Constitution.
Officials said that the government’s actions against social media platforms are based on existing Indian laws and that it has not gone beyond the powers provided under the country’s legal framework.
