The government is considering expanding the functionality of the Sahyog portal to allow law enforcement agencies to request user data from electronic service providers (ESPs), including social media intermediaries, according to a parliamentary committee report.
The Sahyog portal, developed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is being used by authorized government agencies to send notices to intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which requires removal of illegal content within specified timelines.
“In the next phase, it is proposed to enhance the platform with functionalities that will enable law enforcement agencies to submit data request requests to service providers in a structured and streamlined manner,” the Parliamentary Committee on Women Empowerment said in its report submitted to Parliament on Monday.
The report added that this step aims to reduce procedural delays and speed up legal access to data to investigate and prosecute cybercrime cases.
An I4C official, requesting anonymity, confirmed that the next phase of the Sahyog portal is currently “under implementation”.
“The proposed improvement to the Sahyog portal, designed to streamline data requests between law enforcement and service providers, addresses critical bureaucratic bottlenecks that hamper investigations into cybercrimes, especially those involving violence against women,” said Dhruv Garg, partner at the Indian Governance and Policy Project (IGAP).
The committee’s report noted that law enforcement agencies face delays in obtaining information from intermediaries, especially in cases involving cybercrimes against women and children, which often hinders timely investigations and relief for victims.
“While this digital-first approach speeds up the investigation and correction process, implementing robust audit trails and oversight is essential to balance effective investigation and data privacy protection,” Garg added.
According to government data, 16,484 illegal online links, content, apps and websites have been removed through the Sahyog portal till July 31, 2025 since its launch in October 2024.
The proposed move comes as the government looks to expand the scope of issuing removal orders under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act beyond just the IT Ministry. An IT Ministry official, who declined to be named, said the Center is reviewing a proposal to expand these removal powers to include ministries such as Home, External Affairs and Defence.
“An increasing number of departments in ministries are approaching the IT Ministry with requests to block online content. But as a pro-industry body, the IT Ministry does not consider itself a regulator,” the official said. “Given that Article 69A follows a rules-based process, there is a view that ministries such as Defence, Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs could also be given interdiction powers.”
Section 69A enables the Center to block public access to online content under specified circumstances to protect national security, sovereignty and public order.
Under the law, failure to comply with notices issued under section 79(3)(b) could result in brokers losing safe harbour protection, exposing them to legal liability. However, according to the parliamentary report, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said no action has been taken against intermediaries on this basis so far although there have been instances of delays in compliance.
The parliamentary committee noted that all intermediaries, including dating apps, cloud platforms and messaging services, should be listed on the portal.
Separately, the committee recommended mandatory KYC for dating apps, gaming apps and social media to curb fake profiles, impersonation and anonymous harassment. “Women and girls are being lured into the trap through tempting offers, fake rewards and chats. There should be strict monitoring of these apps, age verification should be mandatory and only licensed companies should be allowed,” the committee noted.
