When Algorithms Push Harm, Who's Liable?

When Algorithms Push Harm, Who's Liable?

From The Morning Brief by The Economic Times

July 13, 2026 · 24 min · Episode 992

About this episode

The episode discusses the liability of algorithms and companies in the context of harmful content, particularly child sexual abuse material, featuring insights from lawyer Sajan Poovayya.

When a recommendation system pushes child sexual abuse material to a user, who answers for it: the algorithm or the company behind it? Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Supreme Court of India lawyer Sajan Poovayya, who breaks down India's evolving liability framework for platforms, from the strict liability standard around CSAM ( Child Sexual Abuse Material ) to the tricky question of proving corporate intent through POCSO, the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He unpacks the Supreme Court's take on constructive possession, why safe harbor may not apply when engagement-driven design pushes harmful content, and how India's dark pattern penalties could offer a blueprint for regulating platform accountability. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: Mythos Blocked: When AI Becomes a Weapon of State , India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help? , The Gold That Wasn't There: Inside SEBI's Case Against Rajesh Export s, Hills of Brew ,  Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks   and much more .  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning…

More episodes of The Morning Brief

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Morning Brief podcast page.