India Warns Meta: Safe Harbour At Risk Over Child Abuse Content

New Delhi, 18th August 2026: The Centre has warned Meta that its platforms could lose legal protection under India’s safe harbour rules if they fail to comply with laws related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The warning was conveyed during recent discussions between the government and Meta over content moderation on Facebook and Instagram. Government sources said safe harbour protection would not be available to the company if it violates Indian law.

The issue comes amid growing scrutiny of Meta’s handling of child sexual abuse material and other harmful content on its platforms. The government has previously raised concerns over advertisements on Instagram that allegedly facilitated access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material.

In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed Instagram to remove content facilitating access to such material and sought a detailed response from Meta.

The Centre has also raised concerns over Meta’s content moderation practices, including the spread of deepfakes and other harmful content. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had apologised to the Indian government earlier this month over CSAM, deepfake content and operational lapses on the company’s platforms.

Under India’s IT framework, intermediaries are required to follow due diligence requirements. The government has previously stated that platforms can lose safe harbour protection if they fail to comply with these obligations, including those relating to unlawful content and CSAM.

Government sources said the Centre has also asked Meta to show greater sensitivity to India’s cultural and linguistic context while carrying out content moderation.

The latest warning marks a tougher stance from the government on the responsibilities of large social media platforms and their role in preventing illegal and harmful content from being distributed online.