Google said on Monday that it has agreed to report content flagged as child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, marking a departure from the global practice of first routing such reports through a US-based non-profit organisation.
The move follows a similar announcement by Meta last week. Two Indian government sources told Reuters that authorities had in recent weeks urged technology companies, including Google and Microsoft, to directly report child abuse content concerning India because of concerns that the existing mechanism causes significant delays.
Google in talks with government
A Google spokesperson said the company “invests significantly to detect, deter, remove, and report child sexual abuse material,” and described the proposal as part of the company’s “ongoing discussions with the government of India.”
India is the largest market by users for both Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube.
Meta’s decision to change its reporting mechanism came after weeks of friction with the Indian government, including an apology in August by CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of child sexual abuse material on the company’s platforms.
Existing system routes reports through US
Meta and Alphabet’s Google have for years reported such content to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which subsequently forwards the reports to law enforcement agencies in the country concerned.
According to two sources, Indian officials told technology platforms that the existing arrangement could cost crucial time in cases where a child may be in immediate danger. Under the system, reports first pass through the US organisation before reaching Indian police, who can take action on the ground.
Authorities seek faster reporting
The push for direct reporting is aimed at reducing delays in alerting domestic law enforcement agencies about suspected child sexual abuse material involving India.
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Technology companies and law enforcement authorities in the US, European Union and elsewhere have also sought faster detection and reporting of such material. However, most countries continue to use the US non-profit organisation as the primary international clearing house for such reports.
Over 21 million reports in 2025
Child sexual abuse material remains a widespread and growing global problem. The CyberTipline, operated by the same US-based non-profit organisation, received more than 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from around the world in 2025.
