To address the rising menace of online harassment, the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to explore the introduction of cyber patrolling aimed at preventing the circulation of non-consensual intimate images (NCII) on digital platforms.
The directive came while hearing a petition filed by a woman advocate, who sought intervention against the continued availability of NCII material on several websites. The court expressed concern that eight websites still hosted objectionable content despite repeated calls for removal.
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AI-Driven Monitoring for Women’s Safety
Justice N Anand Venkatesh concurred with submissions by senior counsel Abudu Kumar Rajaratnam, who argued that mechanisms similar to Tamil Nadu’s existing Cyber Patrol and Intelligence Team should be extended to combat NCII.
The current system, used for tackling digital fraud and online scams, relies on artificial intelligence tools to detect suspicious cyber activities in real time. Once flagged, the Cyber Command Centre issues alerts to the jurisdictional police, enabling immediate preventive measures.
Rajaratnam stressed that the same model could be effectively deployed to monitor pornographic websites and block objectionable content swiftly, thereby protecting the dignity of women. He argued that if such mechanisms can prevent fraud, they can also prevent exploitation of women.
Ministry Panel on Standard Operating Procedure
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology submitted minutes of an expert committee constituted to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for tackling cyberattacks targeting women. The court emphasized the urgency of the matter and stated that the court expects the panel to finalize the SOP at the earliest. It also directed the DGP to act immediately in blocking the eight identified websites still hosting NCII content.
The ruling highlights growing judicial recognition of the need for proactive cyber governance and stronger digital safeguards in India, particularly with the increasing misuse of online platforms for harassment and blackmail.
