US technology giant Google is set to report content identified as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to Indian authorities, moving away from the long-standing practice of routing such reports through a US-based nonprofit organisation.
The move comes shortly after Meta adopted a similar approach following discussions with Indian officials, who have been pushing major technology companies to speed up the reporting of suspected child sexual exploitation.
A Google spokesperson said the company invests heavily in detecting, preventing, removing and reporting CSAM. The spokesperson added that the latest change is part of Google’s ongoing discussions with the Indian government.
Until now, Google and Meta had been sending reports to the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The organisation would then forward the reports to law enforcement agencies in the relevant countries.
Indian officials have raised concerns that the intermediary system could delay action in cases involving children who may face an immediate threat. Direct reporting to Indian authorities is expected to allow domestic law enforcement agencies to respond more quickly.
NCMEC operates the CyberTipline, a system used to report suspected cases of child sexual exploitation. The platform received nearly 21.3 million reports from across the world in 2025.
India is one of the largest markets for both Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube. Meta’s decision to change its reporting process came after increased engagement with the Indian government over the handling of CSAM on its platforms.
Authorities and technology officials in the US, the European Union and other regions have also called on online platforms to strengthen systems for detecting and reporting child sexual exploitation.
Despite these calls, the US nonprofit continues to serve as a major international channel for such reports in many countries.
Separately, the Indian government had in July directed Google to remove several Firebase web development accounts that were allegedly being used to impersonate the websites and mobile applications of major public- and private-sector banks and other financial institutions.