Online exploitation of children and the role of intermediaries: an Indian legislative and policy perspective

ABSTRACT The Intermediary landscape in India is extensive and regulating; it is often laborious considering the expanding market and ensuing policy changes. The advent of globalization heralds the inrush of entities that operate transnationally, which often beget legal uncertainties in outlining the intermediary liabilities conundrum. Many jurisdictions oscillated from the notions of liability to safe harbor in fixing the intermediary liabilities. Children are often an easy target of online abuse and Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) is the most circulated object in the cyberspace. This paper has adopted both empirical and doctrinal research methods. The paper primarily addresses the accountability and response on the part of intermediaries for abusive content against children transmitted in their platform and is an attempt to provide an insight into the reasons behind the online exploitation of children in India. The study analyses the public opinion on the online exploitation of children based on a survey conducted among 270 respondents aged from 14 to 50 years. The findings gave support to the suggestions that the exploitation and abuse of children frequently transpire online, and the public perception regarding the gender of child victims varies between girls and boys.