Committed to address, purge child sexual abuse material on Indian internet: Telegram

NEW DELHI: Encrypted messaging platform Telegram on Saturday said it is "always committed" to upholding legal and ethical standards on its platform, particularly in this case of addressing issues related to Child Pornography (CP), Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), and Rape and Gang Rape (RGR) content on the Indian internet.

Telegram responded after the IT Ministry sent notices to Telegram, Elon Musk-run X and Google-owned YouTube to remove any kind of CSAM from their platforms on the Indian internet or face stringent action.

In a statement, Telegram said that in response to reports of CP/CSAM/RGR content, it maintains a “zero-tolerance policy towards any unlawful activities conducted by users on our platform”.

“We take immediate and stringent action as prescribed by the law of the land in response to any such violations. When CP/CSAM/RGR content is reported, we initiate prompt actions to remove the offending material. Our average response time for removal is 10-12 hours, well within the permissible time limit of 24 hours as stipulated by the aforementioned regulations,” said the company’s spokesperson.

Telegram said it also has a specialised team working towards removing all the illegal content that falls under the child abuse category.

“In compliance with Section 79 of the IT Act, Telegram is committed to complying with Section 79 of the Information Technology Act (IT Act) and any related notices issued by State/Union Territory Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for the immediate removal of CP/CSAM/RGR content,” said the company.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT notices were sent to social media intermediaries on Friday, emphasising the importance of prompt and permanent removal or disabling of access to any CSAM on their platforms.

"The rules under the IT Act lay down strict expectations from social media intermediaries that they should not allow criminal or harmful posts on their platforms. If they do not act swiftly, their safe harbour under section 79 of the IT Act would be withdrawn and consequences under the Indian law will follow,” said Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The ministry warned the three social media intermediaries that any delay in complying with the notices will result in the withdrawal of their safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, which currently shields them from legal liability.

YouTube or X Corp (formerly Twitter) were yet to respond to the government’s notices.