The Indian government has now intensified its crackdown on online gender-test kits that claim to determine a baby’s sex before birth. In an effort to prevent female foeticide and ensure strict compliance with the law, the government has been taking increasingly stringent measures. As part of this effort, the Health Ministry has issued a strong notice to tech giant Google, seeking the immediate blocking of all search results and links related to the Peekaboo gender-test kit in India.
Let’s understand what the case is about and why the government is keeping such a close watch on it.
A Reuters report had revealed that certain gender-prediction kits were being sold on e-commerce platform eBay, with deliveries also available to India. Following the report, the Indian Health Ministry sent a notice to Google, directing it to immediately remove search results related to the Peekaboo kit. Prenatal sex determination is completely illegal in India. To prevent female foeticide, the country enacted a strict law in 1994. Despite this, gender-test kits from US-based brands such as Peekaboo and SneakPeek were reportedly reaching customers in India through online channels.
According to information from cybersecurity firm FalconFeeds, Reuters contacted eBay and found that several third-party sellers were offering these kits on the platform for prices ranging from $6.99 (around ₹640) to $156.59 (around ₹14,796), with delivery available to India. After the issue gained attention, eBay removed all the listings from its website, stating that their sale violated the platform’s policies as well as local laws.
Meanwhile, DNA Diagnostics Center, the company that manufactures the kits, clarified that it does not sell these kits in India.
