Lok Sabha Question No. 279 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Online Pornography
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Ms Iqra Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *279

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 19.03.2025

## ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY

## *279.  MS IQRA CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICSAND  INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: -

- (a)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  regulate  online  pornography  given  its  links  to increasing violence against women and exploitation of minors;
- (b) whether the Government is conducting research on the impact of online pornography on gender-based violence in the country;
- (c)  the  measures  put  in  place  to  prevent  children  from  accessing  harmful  pornographic content online including social media apps; and
- (d) whether the Government plans to introduce stricter content moderation and accountability for websites and apps hosting pornography and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN THE REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 279* FOR 19.03.2025 REGARDING ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY

………..

(a) to (d): The policies of the Central Government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet for its users.

The  Information  Technology  Act,  2000  ('IT  Act')  provides  punishment  for  publishing  or transmitting obscene material and material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form. The IT Act also has stringent punishment for publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act in electronic form.

Also, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules,  2021  ('IT  Rules,  2021')  casts  obligations  on  the  intermediaries,  including  social media intermediaries, to observe due diligence and if they fail to observe such due diligence, they lose the exemption from their liability under law for third-party information or data or communication link hosted by them. Such due diligence includes that in case a significant social  media  intermediary  is  providing  services  primarily  in  the  nature  of  messaging  shall enable the identification of the first originator of the information on its computer resource for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of an offence related to rape, sexually explicit material or child sexual abuse material. Such due diligence also includes that intermediaries shall remove within 24 hours any content which prima facie exposes the private area of any individual, shows such individual in full or partial nudity or shows or depicts such individual in any sexual act or conduct. Further, the rules provide for the establishment of one or more Grievance Appellate Committee(s) to allow users to appeal against  decisions  taken  by  Grievance  Officers  of  social  media  intermediary  on  such complaints.

To  ensure  a  good  and  healthy  entertainment  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the Cinematograph Act 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 1983, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), regulates the public exhibition of films including adult films. According  to  the  guidelines  issued  by  them,  films  which  are  considered  unsuitable  for exhibition to non-adults shall be certified for exhibition to adult audiences only.

Further for online publishers of curated content, the IT Rules, 2021 prescribes the code of ethics publishers of online curated content, commonly known as OTT Platforms. This code requires the OTT Platforms to classify content in specified age-appropriate categories, restrict access of age-inappropriate content by children, and implement  an age verification mechanism for content classified as 'Adult'.

To further strengthen the mechanism to deal with such cybercrimes in a coordinated manner, the Government has also taken several other measures, including the following:

- (i) The  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  operates  a  National  Cyber  Crime  Reporting  Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to enable citizens to report complaints pertaining to all types of cybercrimes, with special focus on cybercrimes against children. The Ministry has also set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with all types of cybercrime, including cybercrime against children, in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.
- (ii) The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance to  States  and  Union territories under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children Scheme for capacity building, including for the setting up of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories and training of personnel of law enforcement agencies, public prosecutors and judicial officers.
- (iii) Government  has  from  time  to  time  blocked  websites  containing  child  sexual  abuse material (CSAM), based on lists from Interpol received through the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's national nodal agency for Interpol.
- (iv) Government  has  issued  an  order  to  Internet  Service  Providers,  directing  them  to implement Internet Watch Foundation, UK or Project Arachnid, Canada list of CSAM websites/webpages on a dynamic basis and block access to such web pages or websites.
- (v) The  Department  of  Telecommunications  has  requested  Internet  Service  Providers (ISPs) to  spread  awareness  among their subscribers about the use of parental control filters,  and  has  also  directed  ISPs  with  International  Long-Distance  license  to  block certain websites found to be containing CSAM.
- (vi) To spread awareness on cybercrime, the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken several steps that include dissemination of messages on cybercrime through the Twitter handle @cyberDost, radio campaigns and publishing of a Handbook for Adolescents/Students.
- (vii) A  MoU  has  been  signed  between  the  National  Crimes  Record  Bureau  (NCRB), Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  and  National  Center  for  Missing  and  Exploited Children (NCMEC), USA regarding sharing of Tipline reports on online child explicit material  and  child  sexual  exploitation  contents  from  NCMEC.  The  Tip  lines,  as received from NCMEC, are being shared with States/UTs online through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal for taking further action.

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