The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) yesterday unveiled a standard operating porocedure (SoP) to ensure the rapid removal and prevention of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) on digital platforms, but didn’t specify the type of platforms.

The move, made in compliance with the Madras High Court’s directions (W.P. No. 25017/2025, dated July 15, 2025), is aimed at creating a victim-centric framework to tackle the circulation of private or morphed images online without consent, an official statement put out by Meity stated.

Under the new protocol, online intermediaries — industry experts pointed out it could also include platforms hosting user generated content or UGC — are required to take down reported NCII content within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. The SoP mandates prompt coordination between government agencies, platforms and law enforcement to ensure the content’s swift removal and to prevent its reappearance through hash-matching and crawler technologies, particularly by major social media companies.

Victims will now have multiple avenues to report NCII incidents, including the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, the 1930 helpline, one stop centres (OSCs) offering legal and psychological support, as well as direct reporting mechanisms within apps and platforms. Complaints may also be lodged directly with local police stations for immediate redressal.

The SoP further establishes a coordinated response mechanism between Meity, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, which will maintain a secure NCII hash bank, and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to block flagged URLs. Intermediaries must also report the actions taken and coordinate with government platforms such as Sahyog under Home Ministry.

Describing the SoP as a step toward empowering individuals, especially women, to reclaim their digital dignity, the government said the initiative reinforces its commitment to privacy, safety, and accountability in cyberspace.

The full Standard Operating Procedure to Curtail Dissemination of NCII Content is available on Meity’s official website: https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/11/a2c9500ef5f8b62a43bfc68747de592d.pdf