NEW DELHI: Senior functionaries of Google India and Telegram appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Thursday in response to summons with regard to what mechanisms were in place to check, prevent circulation and report cases of Child Sexual Exploitative & Abuse Material (CSEAM) on their platforms.During the hearing, both Google India and Telegram officials sought time to submit their response, sources said. NCPCR will be providing them with a questionnaire and give them around 10 days to submit their replies.Meanwhile, Meta has submitted its response following the appearance of Meta India chief Arun Srinivas and senior executives of the company before NCPCR last month over the inquiry instituted after it took cognisance of allegations concerning paid advertisements on Instagram that allegedly facilitated access to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)/CSEAM. Meta’s response is under scrutiny, sources in NCPCR said.The matter originally arose after reports by BBC Eye alleged that paid advertisements using terms such as “rape video” and “child video” were displayed on Instagram and redirected users to Telegram channels where such material was allegedly offered for sale.
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NCPCR has now expanded the ambit of its scrutiny to Telegram and Google. According to NCPCR sources, top functionaries of Google India and Telegram appeared before the commission on Thursday.NCPCR has sought to know from Telegram as to what action was taken in response to the allegations that CSEAM material was allegedly redirected to users on its platform. The commission also asked what safety measures exist to prevent such cases.The commission has asked Google India to provide details of measures in place to prevent cases of CSEAM on their platform and the reporting mechanism for the same. NCPCR has also sought to know what Google India is doing to address concerns arising out of reports that nudify apps are on offer on Google Play Store, sources said.
