Govt writes to WhatsApp over report of child abuse videos being circulated

The IT Ministry Thursday wrote to WhatsApp over a recent report which claimed that the platform is being used to share child sexual abuse videos, and has asked the Facebook-owned company to take steps to prevent such misuse.

The IT Ministry has sought WhatsApp’s response on its plans to tackle this issue, in line with the government’s push for initiatives to track bad elements and investigate crimes, a source privy to the development told PTI.

The ministry has written to WhatsApp, which counts India as one of its biggest markets, asserting that clear steps have to be taken to prevent such misuse on the platform.

In response to an e-mail query, WhatsApp forwarded a link to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that stated that the platform has a zero-tolerance policy around child sexual abuse.