Consumer protection

India AI governance faces court, privacy and cyber pressures

An opinion article published by the International Association of Privacy Professionals says India’s data protection and AI governance environment is facing growing pressure as compliance work around the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) unfolds, court challenges continue, and regulators widen oversight into new sectors. The piece, published on 26 March, is labelled as an opinion article and includes an editor’s note stating that the IAPP is policy neutral and publishes contributed opinion pieces to reflect a broad spectrum of views.

The article says several legal and regulatory developments are unfolding simultaneously. One example cited is a public interest litigation filed before India’s Supreme Court by journalist Geeta Seshu and the Software Freedom Law Centre, India, challenging parts of the DPDPA on constitutional and rights-related grounds. According to the piece, the Supreme Court later issued a notice to the Government of India on 12 March.

Concerns outlined in the article include the absence of journalistic exemptions, the lack of compensation for data breach victims when penalties are imposed to the government, broad state powers to exempt departments from the law, and questions about the independence of the Data Protection Board given the government’s control over appointments. The article notes that similar petitions had already been filed, but says this was the first time the court issued notice to the government.

The article also turns to proceedings before the Kerala High Court involving privacy concerns about biometric and personal data collected through Digi Yatra, a not-for-profit foundation that operates airport passenger-processing infrastructure in India. According to the piece, a public interest litigation filed by C R Neelakandan asked for a temporary restraint on the sharing of collected personal data and its commercial use without proper authorisation.

The article says the Kerala High Court issued notice to the Digi Yatra Foundation and sought clarification from the government on whether the Data Protection Board had been established to oversee such matters.

Alongside the litigation, the opinion piece points to government efforts to show legal preparedness for AI-related risks. It says Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined existing safeguards during the ongoing parliamentary session, referring to the Information Technology Act, the DPDPA, and subordinate rules, along with published guidelines on AI governance, toy safety, harmful content, awareness-building measures, and cyber safety.

Cybersecurity developments also feature in the article. It says the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, working with the SatCom Industry Association, issued guidelines on 26 February for space, including satellite communications. According to the piece, the framework is intended to strengthen resilience in India’s space ecosystem.

It applies to covered entities, including government agencies, satellite service providers, ground station operators, terminal equipment vendors, and private space entities. Incident reporting within six hours and annual audits are among the measures described.

A further section of the article draws on Thales’ 2026 Data Threat Report. The piece says 64% of surveyed organisations in India identified AI-driven transformation as their biggest security risk, while 55% said they had to deal with reputational damage caused by AI-generated misinformation. It also says 65% reported deepfake-driven attacks, 35% had a complete view of their data, and 36% could fully classify their data.

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EU demands stronger age verification from adult websites

The European Commission has preliminarily found that several major adult platforms, including Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos, may be in breach of the Digital Services Act for failing to adequately protect minors from accessing harmful content.

These findings highlight concerns that children can easily access such platforms rather than being effectively prevented by robust safeguards.

The Commission’s investigation indicates that the platforms’ risk assessments were insufficient. In several cases, companies focused on reputational or business risks instead of fully addressing societal harms to minors.

Authorities also raised concerns that some platforms did not adequately consider input from civil society organisations specialising in children’s rights and age-assurance technologies, undermining the reliability of their evaluations.

Regarding risk mitigation, the Commission found that existing measures are ineffective. Simple self-declaration systems, in which users confirm they are over 18, were deemed inadequate, while additional features such as warnings, labels, or blurred content failed to prevent minors from accessing content.

The Commission considers that stronger, privacy-preserving age-verification solutions are necessary to ensure meaningful protection of children’s rights and well-being online.

The companies involved now have the opportunity to respond and propose corrective measures, while consultations with the European Board for Digital Services continue.

If the preliminary findings are confirmed, the Commission may impose fines of up to 6 percent of global annual turnover, alongside periodic penalties to enforce compliance.

The case forms part of broader efforts to enforce the Digital Services Act and strengthen online safety across the EU, rather than relying on voluntary measures by platforms.

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Europol warns legal gaps could weaken child abuse detection online

Efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation could be severely weakened, Europol has warned, if legal frameworks supporting detection and reporting are disrupted.

Executive Director Catherine De Bolle highlighted growing concerns over the increasing volume of harmful content online and stressed that protecting children remains a top priority for European law enforcement.

Authorities rely heavily on reports submitted by online service providers, which play a central role in identifying victims and supporting investigations, rather than relying solely on traditional policing methods.

Europol processed around 1.1 million CyberTips in a single year, many originating from the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and shared across 24 European countries.

These CyberTips include critical evidence such as images, videos, and other digital data used to track criminal activity.

Europol cautioned that removing the legal basis allowing voluntary detection by platforms could significantly reduce the number of reports submitted to authorities. A decline in CyberTips would limit investigative leads, making it harder to identify victims and disrupt online criminal networks.

Such a development could undermine broader security efforts and weaken the protection of minors across the EU instead of strengthening safeguards.

The agency emphasised that maintaining online service providers’ ability to detect and report suspected abuse is essential to effective law enforcement.

Ensuring continued cooperation between platforms and authorities remains a key factor in safeguarding children and addressing the growing threat of online exploitation.

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EU opens probe into Snapchat child safety compliance

The European Commission has launched formal proceedings to assess whether Snapchat is complying with child protection obligations under the Digital Services Act. The investigation focuses on whether the platform ensures adequate safety, privacy, and security for minors.

Authorities suspect Snapchat may have failed to prevent exposure of children to grooming attempts, recruitment for criminal activity, and content linked to illegal goods such as drugs, vapes, and alcohol.

Concerns also include whether minors can be effectively prevented from accessing the platform or interacting with adults posing as peers.

The inquiry will examine age assurance methods, default account settings, reporting tools, and the spread of illegal content. Regulators argue that self-declared age may be insufficient, while default settings and recommendations may expose minors to risks.

The Commission will now gather further evidence through information requests, inspections, and interviews, and may take enforcement actions, including interim measures or penalties.

National regulators will support the investigation as part of coordinated oversight under the Digital Services Act.

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Open letter targets Meta ad practices

A coalition of civil society and industry groups has urged the European Commission to enforce the Digital Markets Act more rigorously, warning that major tech firms continue to exploit compliance gaps. The appeal centres on concerns over data use and online advertising practices.

Organisations including noyb, Check My Ads, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties argue that current models fail to offer users genuine choice. Critics say consent mechanisms tied to payment or tracking undermine the intent of the EU digital rules.

The letter against Meta calls for clearer standards, including equal options for personalised and non-personalised advertising, as well as stricter limits on design practices that influence user decisions. Campaigners also want stronger coordination between regulators to ensure consistent enforcement.

The push reflects wider frustration among European organisations, with several recent letters demanding faster action against dominant platforms. Observers warn that delayed enforcement risks weakening the credibility of the EU digital regulation.

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UK tightens sanctions on crypto-linked scam networks

The UK has stepped up its crackdown by sanctioning a crypto marketplace tied to major scam centres in Southeast Asia. Measures aim to disrupt the sale of stolen personal data and limit the financial infrastructure enabling online fraud targeting British victims.

Authorities also targeted operators behind ‘#8 Park’, Cambodia’s largest scam compound, believed to house up to 20,000 trafficked workers. Many individuals forced to run scams were lured with false job offers before being coerced into fraudulent activity under severe threats.

Sanctions extend to key entities and individuals connected to the wider network, including those facilitating crypto laundering and cross-border financial flows. Earlier UK action froze over £1 billion in assets and helped shut down platforms used for laundering illicit funds.

Officials said the measures will isolate these operations from the crypto ecosystem and freeze UK-based assets. The measures come ahead of an international summit in June aimed at strengthening global coordination against illicit finance and digital fraud.

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New Mexico wins major case against Meta

A jury has found Meta Platforms liable for misleading consumers and endangering children in a landmark case brought by the New Mexico Department of Justice. The verdict marks the first successful trial by a US state against a major tech firm over child safety concerns.

Jurors awarded civil penalties totalling 375 million dollars after finding violations of consumer protection law. The case focused on claims that platform design choices exposed young users to harmful and exploitative content.

Evidence presented in court included internal company documents and testimony suggesting awareness of risks to children. Allegations centred on failures to prevent exploitation, as well as features linked to addictive behaviour and exposure to harmful material.

Further proceedings in the US are scheduled, with authorities seeking additional penalties and mandated changes to platform safety measures. Proposed actions include stronger age verification and improved protections for minors online.

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New AI safety policies target teen protection in apps

OpenAI has released a set of prompt-based safety policies to help developers build safer AI experiences for teenagers. The tools work with the open-weight model gpt-oss-safeguard, turning safety requirements into practical classifiers for real-world use.

The policies address teen risks, including graphic violence, sexual content, harmful body image behaviour, dangerous challenges, roleplay, and age-restricted goods and services. Developers can use them for both real-time filtering and offline content analysis.

The framework was developed with input from organisations such as Common Sense Media and everyone.ai to improve clarity and consistency in teen safety rules. The initiative also responds to long-standing challenges in translating high-level safety goals into precise operational systems.

Open-source availability through the ROOST Model Community allows developers to adapt and expand the policies for different use cases and languages. The framework is a foundational step, not a complete solution, encouraging layered safeguards and ongoing refinement.

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OpenAI launches a public Safety Bug Bounty programme

OpenAI has introduced a public Safety Bug Bounty programme to identify misuse and safety risks across its AI systems. The initiative expands the company’s existing vulnerability reporting framework by focusing on harms that fall outside traditional security definitions.

The programme covers AI threats such as agentic risks, prompt injection, data exfiltration, and bypassing platform integrity controls. Researchers are encouraged to submit reproducible cases where AI systems perform harmful actions or expose sensitive information.

Unlike standard security reports, the initiative accepts safety issues that pose real-world risk, even if they are not classified as technical vulnerabilities. Dedicated safety and security teams will assess submissions and may be reassigned depending on relevance.

The scheme is open to external researchers and ethical hackers to strengthen AI safety through broader collaboration. OpenAI says the approach is intended to improve resilience against evolving misuse as AI systems become more advanced.

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