A Parliamentary panel has recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology introduce KYC-based user identification and age-verification systems across digital platforms to strengthen online safety for women and minors.
The recommendations are part of the Parliamentary Committee on the Empowerment of Women’s report titled ‘Cyber Crimes and Cyber Safety of Women’.
The committee said, “mandatory KYC-based verification be introduced across all social media, dating and gaming platforms to curb the menace of fake profiles, impersonation and anonymous harassment,” Moneycontrol reported.
It also proposed periodic re-verification of users and the creation of high-risk flags for accounts repeatedly reported for abuse.
“Women and girls are lured into the trap through tempting offers, fake rewards and chatting. There should be strict monitoring on these apps, age verification should be mandatory and only licensed companies should be allowed,” it said.
Focus on dating and gaming apps
The panel called for stricter regulation of dating and gaming platforms, including licensing norms and age-verification protocols. It said penalties should be imposed on platforms that fail to protect women and minors from fraudulent or coercive practices.
The report flagged the growing use of fake or unverifiable accounts in enabling cyberstalking, online harassment, circulation of non-consensual intimate imagery and other forms of abuse.
Push for traceability, safeguards
To address these concerns, the committee suggested KYC-linked user accounts and age-gating systems to improve traceability, restrict access to age-inappropriate content, and deter misuse.
It added that online harassment, trolling, fake profiles and identity theft have become common, and recommended a quick complaint redressal mechanism alongside mandatory verification.
These measures could require platforms to verify user identities through official documents and introduce stricter controls for minors.
Privacy concerns likely
The proposals are expected to spark debate around privacy, data protection and feasibility. Critics have earlier raised concerns that mandatory KYC for internet usage could lead to surveillance risks, data breaches, and exclusion of users without formal identification.
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