Indian Government Summons Meta Over Ads Promoting Child Sexual Abuse on Instagram

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has summoned officials from Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, over advertisements on Instagram that promoted child sexual abuse material, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the ministry to seek an explanation from Meta regarding the ads. The government will ask why the platform allowed such content and what steps are being taken to prevent similar incidents.

The move follows an investigative report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that revealed Instagram had been running advertisements with titles such as 'rape video' and 'child video' in India. The ads directed users to Telegram channels where they could purchase such material for as little as ₹99.

According to the BBC, after being notified about the ads, Instagram initially responded that the posts did not violate its 'community guidelines.' However, Meta later stated that it had disabled several advertisements and suspended the accounts that posted them. Meta also blocked URLs that violated its content policies.

The Indian government's action underscores its commitment to protecting children from online exploitation and holding platforms accountable for harmful content. The Ministry is expected to demand a detailed response from Meta on how such ads were allowed to run and what mechanisms are in place to detect and remove them promptly.

This development highlights ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of content moderation on social media platforms, especially regarding illegal and harmful material. The government has previously taken a strong stance on ensuring digital platforms comply with Indian laws and protect user safety.