Will continue crackdown on child sexual abuse content on platform: WhatsApp to IT Min

WhatsApp has told the IT ministry it takes reports of child sexual abuse material on its platform "very seriously" and will continue to ensure that effective action is initiated as soon as exploitative content is reported to it, according to a source.

The IT ministry had last week drawn attention of the Facebook-owned company to a recent report which claimed that the platform is being used to share child sexual abuse videos and had asked it to take steps to prevent such misuse.

The ministry's move came after a report by Cyber Peace Foundation allegedly found that chat groups on WhatsApp continue to be created and used to disseminate and share Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in India.

In its response, WhatsApp has sought to assure the IT ministry that it will continue to be "vigilant" on the critical issue of child sexual abuse and also expressed a keen desire to take part in any public awareness campaign that the ministry organises in this regard, a source privy to the matter ...