Group of ministers discuss ways to check upload of pornographic materials online

Union ministers and top officials met here today to discuss the problem of unabated uploading of pornographic materials on YouTube and some social media sites using laptops and smartphones, and ways to check them, officials said.

The discussion came following a Supreme Court directive on the subject in response to a writ petition filed by a Hyderabad-based NGO.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, besides others, a Home Ministry official said.

The government will have to file an affidavit soon, giving details of the action taken by it in this regard.

It has already set up an online cybercrime-reporting portal to block videos of sexual offences on social sites.

The apex court was earlier informed that the Ministry of Home Affairs had identified keywords for child pornography, rape and gang rape content search, and a list of keywords in English language had been compiled and circulated among content providers for further action.

The court was hearing the matter after a letter and a pen-drive, containing two rape videos, were sent to then Chief Justice of India H L Dattu by Hyderabad-based NGO Prajwala in 2015. The court had on its own taken cognisance of the letter and asked the CBI to launch a probe and apprehend the culprits.

The NGO's letter had also mooted the idea of maintaining a national sex offenders register, which would contain details of persons convicted of offences like eve-teasing, stalking, molestation and other sexual assaults.

A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit is currently hearing the case.

Today's meeting was also attended by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Director of Intelligence Bureau, Rajiv Jain, senior officials of the Home Ministry, IT Ministry and security agencies.