The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to Meta and the police chiefs of eight states over alleged violations linked to pornographic and age-inappropriate content on Instagram and Facebook
that may potentially contain Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said the availability of paid content containing CSAM on Instagram could amount to a punishable offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Kanoongo said such allegations require a criminal investigation and that an FIR should be registered against Meta if the content is found to violate the law.
The NHRC has asked authorities in the eight states to investigate the alleged violations and take appropriate action. The Information Technology Secretary has also been made a party in the proceedings.
According to Kanoongo, the commission has provided 50 URLs to the authorities concerned for investigation.
He warned that failure by the authorities to act despite being provided the URLs would prompt the NHRC to approach the Centre. “If the concerned authorities don’t initiate the investigation despite 50 URLs being made available to them, then we are going to write to the Government of India and urge it to initiate appropriate action against incompetent police personnel and government authorities in the ministry,” Kanoongo said.
