Google has agreed to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) involving India directly to Indian authorities, marking a change from the reporting process it has traditionally followed in many countries.
Under the earlier system, reports identified by Google were generally sent to the U.S.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which can then refer cases to relevant law enforcement agencies. Google has previously explained that its systems use technologies such as hash matching, artificial intelligence and trained human reviewers to identify and confirm suspected CSAM before reporting it.
The change follows discussions between the company and the Indian government. Two Indian government sources told Reuters that officials had recently pressed technology companies including Google and Microsoft to report cases involving India directly to local authorities.
Indian officials have raised concerns that routing reports through an overseas intermediary can delay investigations, particularly in cases where children may be at immediate risk. Reuters reported that Meta made a similar announcement the previous week.
Google said the move is part of its ongoing discussions with the Indian government and reiterated its investment in detecting, removing and reporting child sexual abuse material.
The company has previously said that its detection systems combine digital fingerprinting, machine-learning tools and specialist human review. Once material is confirmed as CSAM, Google can remove it, take action against associated accounts and report the case through the relevant reporting channel.
The latest change is significant because it could place India-related reports more directly within the country's law-enforcement system, potentially reducing reliance on the previous international reporting route.