Google has agreed to report content flagged as child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, moving away from a global process in which such reports are first sent through a US-based nonprofit.
The decision follows a similar move by Meta last week. It also comes after government officials pressed technology companies, including Google and Microsoft, to report child abuse content involving India directly. Officials raised concerns that the existing process can significantly delay reports reaching Indian authorities.
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 followed weeks of discussions with the government, including an apology last month from CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of child sexual abuse material on its platforms.
For years, Meta and Google’s parent company Alphabet have reported such cases to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The organisation then forwards the reports to law enforcement agencies in the relevant country.
Indian officials argued that this process can cost valuable time when a child may be in immediate danger. Reports must pass through the intermediary before reaching local police who can respond on the ground.
Child sexual abuse material remains a major global problem. The CyberTipline, operated by the same nonprofit, received more than 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from around the world in 2025.
Technology and law enforcement authorities in the US, European Union and other regions have urged platforms to improve the speed of detection and reporting. However, most countries still rely on the US nonprofit as the primary international clearing house for such reports.
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