India to take away Meta's intermediary status, reclassifies it as a service provider

The Centre is reportedly reclassifying Meta as a service provider and not merely an intermediary. According to the Indian government, platforms that charge for algorithms cannot simply claim to be intermediaries. It stated that every service provider has responsibilities and must take responsibility for the services it provides. This statement was made regarding Meta addressing harmful and addictive content available on the platform.

According to sources, the government believes Meta lacks legal immunity in this situation, although the judiciary determines the final interpretation of the law. When asked whether Meta loses its legal immunity in such a case, sources maintained that the court will decide.

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram has admitted it made mistakes and has committed to reporting child abuse material to law enforcement agencies.

Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters directly to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), as the government pushes social media platforms for stronger safeguards and greater accountability amid a crackdown on child sexual abuse material and other harmful content online.

Protecting children on digital platforms is a priority for the company, a Meta spokesperson said, adding that the company is “committed to working with the government to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are held responsible".

"To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the cybercrime portal managed by I4C," the Meta spokesperson had said.