Lok Sabha Question No. 4154 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Regulation of Online Matrimonial and Dating Platforms
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Appalanaidu Kalisetti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4154

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## REGULATION OF ONLINE MATRIMONIAL AND DATING PLATFORMS

## 4154.   SHRI APPALANAIDU KALISETTI:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  cognizance  of  complaints  relating  to  identity  fraud, impersonation, financial scams, harassment and misuse of personal data on online matrimonial and dating platforms;
- (b) if so, the total number of such complaints received during the last five years, classified crimetype-wise, State and year-wise including segregation into domestic and cross-border cases;
- (c) the number of FIRs registered, charge sheets filed, arrests made and convictions secured in such cases, classified, State-wise;
- (d) whether such platforms are mandated under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 to undertake mandatory user verification/KYC and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes any additional measures, policy frameworks or guidelines to further regulate online matrimonial and dating platforms, enhance user verification and prevent misuse or fraud and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a)  to  (e):  The  policies  of  Government  of  India  are  aimed  at  ensuring  open,  safe,  trusted  and accountable cyberspace for users in the country. It is cognizant of the risks and harms arising from the misuse of digital technologies including online matrimonial and dating platforms.

## IT Act 2000:

The Information Technology Act, 2000 ('IT Act') and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines  and  Digital  Media  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021  ('IT  Rules'),  together,  provide  a framework to deal with unlawful content in the digital space.

The IT Act provides penal provisions against various cybercrimes that may arise from abuse, fraud, and misuse on online platforms, including online matrimonial and dating platforms. The relevant provisions under IT Act are as follows: -

- Section 66C: Punishment for identity theft (e.g., creating fake profiles using personal data).
- Section 66D: Punishment for cheating by personation using computer resources.
- Section 66E: Punishment for violation of privacy through capturing, publishing or transmitting private images
- Section 67: Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene content in electronic form
- Section 67A: Punishment for publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material
- Section 72: Penalty for breach of confidentiality and privacy by intermediaries or associated personnel

Online  matrimonial  and  dating  platforms  are  intermediaries  and  must  follow  due  diligence requirements under the IT Rules. They are required to make reasonable efforts to ensure that users do not post or share content that is obscene, violates privacy, harasses or insults on the basis of gender, or violates any law.

Intermediaries  must  remove  unlawful  content  within  3  hours  (2  hours  for  non-consensual sexual/intimate content) of being notified by the government or court order.

## DPDP Act 2023:

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ('DPDP Act'), together with the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 ('DPDP Rules'), establishes a comprehensive framework governing the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes.

The DPDP Act requires personal data to be processed for lawful purposes on the basis of free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous consent, preceded or accompanied by a notice describing the personal data to be collected and the purpose of its processing.

The DPDP Act also provides individuals with certain rights in relation to their personal data and requires Data Fiduciaries to establish grievance redressal mechanisms in matters concerning the processing of such data.

The  framework  established  under  the  DPDP  Act  is  technology-agnostic  and  principle-based, enabling organisations operating digital platforms to adopt safeguards and verification mechanisms appropriate  to  their  services  and  risk  environment  while  complying  with  statutory  obligations relating to data protection, transparency, and accountability.

## Advisory:

The  Ministry  has  also  issued  an  advisory  dated  06.06.2016  to  all  matrimonial  websites  and matrimonial mobile applications on functioning of matrimonial websites in accordance with the IT Act and the rules framed thereunder.

## Coordination with state governments:

'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Therefore,  the  primary  responsibility  for  prevention,  detection,  registration,  investigation  and prosecution of cases is of the state government.

Therefore  the  matters  regarding  complaints  relating  to  identity  fraud,  impersonation,  financial scams,  harassment,  and  misuse  of  personal  data  on  online  matrimonial  and  dating  platforms, concern the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.

The  National  Cyber  Crime  Reporting  Portal  ('NCRP')  ( https://cybercrime.gov.in)  has  been launched, as a part of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre('I4C'), to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types of cyber crimes, with special focus on cyber crimes against women and children.

Cyber crime incidents reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs and subsequent action thereon are handled by the State/UT Law Enforcement Agencies concerned as per the provisions of the law.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes the statistical data on crimes in its publication 'Crime in India'. The latest published data pertains to year 2023. Details can be accessed in their website https://www.ncrb.gov.in/

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