Google to report India CSAM cases directly to authorities, breaking from US route

NEW DELHI: Google is set to change how it reports child sexual abuse material (CSAM) linked to India, moving towards a system in which such cases are reported directly to Indian authorities instead of first passing through a US-based intermediary, according to reuters report.

The move follows a similar step by Meta last week and comes after Indian government officials pressed major technology companies to shorten the reporting chain for cases involving children. Reuters reported that two Indian government sources had raised concerns that the existing system could significantly delay action by local law enforcement.

Google said it has been discussing the proposed arrangement with the Indian government. A Google spokesperson said the company “invests significantly to detect, deter, remove, and report child sexual abuse material”, adding that the proposal forms part of its ongoing discussions with the government.

The company has proposed operationalising the sharing of relevant information with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in cases involving CSAM, according to reports. The proposal would give Indian authorities a more direct reporting channel for such cases.

For years, Google and Meta have followed an international reporting process under which suspected child sexual abuse material is sent to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

NCMEC operates the CyberTipline and passes reports to law enforcement agencies in the countries concerned. Indian officials have argued that this additional step can cost valuable time, particularly in cases where a child could be at immediate risk and local police need to intervene quickly.

The change therefore brings the reporting process closer to the authorities that can take action on the ground. Rather than waiting for a report to travel through an international clearing house, platforms would be able to share India-related cases directly with the relevant Indian law enforcement system.

The issue has become a growing focus for the Indian government, which has also been engaging with companies including Microsoft over the reporting of child abuse material.

Google’s decision comes shortly after Meta agreed to report child safety matters, including child sexual abuse cases, directly to Indian law enforcement through the cybercrime portal managed by I4C.

Meta’s move followed increased scrutiny of how child sexual abuse material was being handled on its platforms. The company has also faced pressure from Indian authorities over child safety and harmful content.

The developments also came after Mark Zuckerberg apologised last month over the spread of child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms, according to Reuters.

India’s importance to both companies adds another layer to the shift. The country is the largest market by users for both Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube, making changes to their reporting and safety practices particularly significant.

The scale of online child exploitation highlights why reporting speed has become a major concern for technology platforms and law enforcement agencies.

NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 21.3 million reports from around the world concerning suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025, according to Reuters.

The US, European Union and other jurisdictions have been pushing technology companies to improve the speed of detection and reporting. However, the NCMEC system remains the primary international route through which many platforms report suspected cases.

Google’s proposed India-specific approach marks a departure from that established model. For Indian authorities, the focus is now on reducing the distance between a platform flagging potentially illegal material and law enforcement being able to respond locally.

The shift by Google and Meta could also put pressure on other major platforms to review how quickly India-related child safety reports reach domestic authorities.