The Indian government has issued a notice to Meta over allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM). The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed the company to immediately remove such content and submit a detailed response within seven days.
Why has the Indian government issued a notice to Meta?
According to reports, MeitY has ordered Instagram to take down all content that facilitated access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material. The government has also warned that failure to provide the required information could lead to legal action under the Information Technology Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
What exactly happened?
The notice follows a BBC investigation, which alleged that Meta’s recommendation algorithm promoted videos containing child sexual abuse material. These advertisements allegedly directed users to Telegram channels where such illegal content was reportedly being sold.
The government has questioned how these advertisements were approved despite Meta’s policies banning nudity and sexually explicit content. It has also asked the company to explain what corrective steps it has taken since the allegations surfaced and what additional safeguards it plans to introduce to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Sources told PTI that Meta cannot avoid responsibility by claiming that the content was posted by third parties if the allegations involve paid advertisements. Since the platform earns revenue from advertisements, it could be held accountable if the claims are found to be true.
In response to the BBC report, a Meta spokesperson said the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards child sexual abuse material, including in advertisements. The spokesperson said Meta uses advanced artificial intelligence to detect and remove such content but admitted that criminals constantly try to bypass its safety systems.
Meta added that its expert teams continue to strengthen their defences, develop new technologies to identify predators, block links to illegal websites, and share intelligence with other technology companies to improve online safety.
