The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 3rd April 2025 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Digital child abuse, the danger of AI-based exploitation

Why is it News?

• The British Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in collaboration with the AI Security Institute, released the International AI Safety Report 2025.
• The report raises concerns about the potential misuse of AI tools in generating, possessing, and disseminating harmful content involving children.

Increasing Threat of AI in Producing Harmful Content

• A global organization had issued a warning regarding AI's capability to create realistic images of children.
• A foundation dedicated to monitoring internet safety observed a surge in such content on public websites.
• This issue necessitates immediate action to revise laws and safeguard children from online dangers.

New Legislation in the United Kingdom

• A proposed law aims to make it illegal to create, possess, or distribute AI tools that generate harmful content involving children.
• The legislation will also ban the possession of instructional materials that guide individuals in using AI for such purposes.
• This marks a shift from punishing only offenders to targeting the tools used for these crimes.
• Unlike previous laws that focused on individual actions, the new law directly addresses AI-generated content.
• It empowers authorities to intervene before crimes are committed.
• The law aims to mitigate the mental and emotional harm caused by such material.
• It also addresses a legal gap by covering AI-generated images of fictional children, which were not previously included in legal definitions.

The Situation in India

• Cybercrimes targeting children have seen a significant rise, as indicated by national crime data.
• A government portal documented 1.94 lakh incidents related to online child exploitation by April 2024.
• A national agency works with an international organization to monitor online threats, sharing nearly 69.05 lakh reports with local authorities.
• These figures underscore the serious threat to children's safety in the country.

Existing Indian Laws and Their Shortcomings

• The IT Act 2000 penalizes individuals for publishing or transmitting harmful material involving children.
• Laws under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act prohibit the use of children in explicit content and criminalize its storage.
• Other provisions make it illegal to distribute or display obscene materials.
• However, current laws do not specifically address AI-generated content, creating a legal gap.

Measures to Strengthen India’s Legal Framework

•  Authorities should update laws to address AI-related risks. 
•  A national advisory body has suggested changing the term ‘child pornography’ to ‘child sexual abuse material’ (CSAM) for a broader legal scope. 
•  Defining ‘sexually explicit’ in the IT Act would aid in identifying and blocking harmful content more effectively. 
•  Expanding the definition of ‘intermediary’ under the IT Act to include online service providers would enhance accountability. 
•  New legal amendments should consider the risks posed by advanced technology. 
•  India should support a proposed international agreement to prevent the misuse of digital technology for crimes. 
•  A forthcoming law to replace the IT Act should incorporate provisions to tackle AI-generated harmful content, similar to the proposed U.K. law.

The reciprocal tariff dilemma

Why in News?

• The U.S. government's 'Fair and Reciprocal Plan' aims to address non-reciprocal trade practices by imposing equivalent tariffs.
• This strategy could have significant implications for global trade dynamics and U.S. commercial interests.

Fair and Reciprocal Plan

• The 'Fair and Reciprocal Plan' is designed to rectify imbalances in trade relationships by countering non-reciprocal trading practices.
• It involves the imposition of equivalent tariffs on trading partners to ensure fairness.
• The assessment for this plan takes into account various factors such as tariffs, discriminatory taxes, subsidies, exchange rate manipulation, and restrictive regulations.

U.S. Share in Global Exports

• In 2010, the U.S. accounted for 12% of global exports, which increased to 13% in 2019 and 13.4% in 2022.
• Approximately 87% of global exports occur between countries excluding the U.S.
• Countries like Canada and Mexico export over 75% of their goods to the U.S., while many African countries send less than 5% of their exports to the U.S.

Tariff Comparison

• The U.S. administration aims to impose reciprocal tariffs in cases where partner countries have higher tariffs on American goods.
• Data from 2022 indicates that in 27 countries, tariffs on U.S. exports are lower than U.S. tariffs on their goods.
• This situation renders reciprocal tariffs ineffective in these cases, as imposing them could harm U.S. trade interests.
• Major U.S. trading partners such as Canada, the EU, Japan, and the U.K. would be exempt from reciprocal tariff increases.

Potential Tariff Adjustments

• Among the 130 countries identified for potential tariff adjustments, 57 require tariff increases of less than 5%, including countries like China and India.
• In 15 of these cases, the required increase is less than 1%.
• The remaining 73 countries would necessitate more than a 5% increase in U.S. import tariffs to achieve parity.
• Raising tariffs on key export partners could adversely affect U.S. businesses by making American goods less competitive in those markets.

Trade Diversion Risks

• Implementing high reciprocal tariffs could prompt affected countries to redirect their exports to alternative markets.
• The experience during the pandemic demonstrated that businesses are capable of swiftly adapting to external shocks and establishing new trade partnerships.

Alternative Policy Recommendations

• Rather than imposing retaliatory tariffs, affected nations should concentrate on eliminating internal and external trade barriers.
• Fostering regulatory cooperation with non-U.S. trading partners can facilitate smoother trade relations and enhance mutual benefits.
• The rapid growth of digital services exports compared to other goods and services underscores the importance of focusing on digital trade policies.
• Preferential trade agreements that address regulatory challenges can significantly enhance trade, particularly in the realm of digital services.
•  Policymakers are encouraged to prioritize long-term trade reforms over short-term retaliatory actions to strengthen the overall framework of global trade.