What Is MeitY's Parental Control App And Why Does Industry Body Urge Its Inclusion In New Devices?

Testing of the SafeNet app is currently being overseen by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), allowing parents to set content filters, and access their children's live location, calls, and messages, as per sources familiar with the matter.

The SafeNet app has been developed by the Centre for Internet Studies and Artificial Intelligence (CISAI) of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, with research and development support from MeitY.

What is MeitY's parental control app, and why is the industry body advocating its inclusion in new devices?

It aims to address concerns about child safety and excessive content censorship. During a November 2023 meeting convened by the Department of Telecommunications, an industry body recommended preloading the app by default in mobile, computer, and laptop devices.

The Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) proposed that manufacturers preload the app in devices themselves. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed schools and licensees to raise awareness about parental control through various channels, as reported by Hindustan Times.

At the same meeting, the DoT told participants, including representatives from major telecom operators, to incorporate parental controls in data usage by a specified deadline. In a previous meeting in August 2023, it was decided that MeitY would develop an app for parental control.

Telecom service providers (TSPs) and internet service providers (ISPs) were tasked with providing details of configuration in mobile/computers regarding parental control on their websites and educating subscribers about parental controls. The SafeNet app enables parents to configure content filters, monitor YouTube activity, manage screen time, and block age-inappropriate content on their children's devices, as reported by Hindustan Times.

It utilizes three custom domain name servers (DNS) for content filtering, providing a graded approach to content control. However, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of parental control apps. Aparajita Bharti, a founding partner of The Quantum Hub (TQH) Consulting, emphasized the need for safeguards to prevent misuse and highlighted the importance of engaging with experts and stakeholders to address unintended consequences.