Meta Addresses Indian Government Concerns Over CSAM and Deepfakes

Social media giant Meta has reportedly started taking steps to address concerns raised by the Indian central government regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and deepfakes hosted on its platforms. These actions follow multiple rounds of discussions with government officials.

The Indian government has emphasized to Meta that CSAM violates Indian law and has warned that the company could lose its safe-harbor protection if it fails to meet its legal obligations. Meta's global team has outlined how its algorithms operate and presented measures planned in response to the government's concerns. Some issues require "judgment calls and tweaks," according to the company.

New Delhi has aimed to distinguish between regulation and censorship, stating its goal is to ensure platforms comply with Indian law and limit harms from social media, rather than restrict legitimate coverage. However, the persistence of harmful AI-generated content, particularly deepfake videos without proper labeling, remains an unresolved issue.

In prior meetings, officials also pressed Meta to increase human oversight of content moderation, especially for content in Indian languages and material reflecting local cultural and social contexts. The Indian government is also separately examining WhatsApp's proposed username feature, which could have broader implications for other messaging services.