New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) In a major deterrent to online sexual predators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be required to adopt and implement the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) Resources by July 31, 2017, an official statement here today said.
The foundation maintains a dynamic global list of websites and URLs, which contain Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Implementation of IWF Resources will result in the relevant content being blocked/removed on an ongoing basis.
According to an order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the ISPs will observe due diligence requirements described under the IT Act for removing and disabling any content, which is in violation of the extant rules and regulations. To deal with the problem of online Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), a stakeholder consultation was held last year on this issue, wherein it was decided that the Ministry would establish a National Alliance against Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, focusing primarily on the online content.
As a result, an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) was constituted on request of the WCD Ministry. The IMC includes MHA, MEITY, Ministry of Law, Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Telecom. Based on the consultations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued immediate interim measures to curb the menace of Online Child Sexual Abuse Material. MEITY has issued this order under Section 79(2) (c) of the Information Technology Act 2000 to curb online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This is an interim measure till the IMC puts in place a centralised mechanism to monitor online CSAM. UNI
