Instagram Ads Promoting Child Abuse Material: Indian Government Summons Meta
The Indian government is set to summon Meta, the parent company of Instagram, following reports that paid advertisements on the platform promoted child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in India. The development comes after a BBC investigation revealed that Instagram had displayed paid promotions in India using explicit terms, with links directing users to Telegram channels allegedly selling CSAM.
Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to seek a formal explanation from Meta, sources confirmed on Friday. The ministry is expected to ask Meta to clarify how its review systems cleared such advertisements, whether checks were conducted before they went live, and what actions were taken after the matter was flagged. Additionally, MeitY may request details of the company's ad-screening mechanisms and safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
The BBC report stated that the advertisements appeared on an India-based account and had passed Instagram's moderation systems. In response, Meta said it had disabled multiple ads and accounts and blocked violating URLs, emphasising a “zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads.” A Meta spokesperson told The Times of India that the company uses “advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals,” but added that it remains “in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection.”
Under India's Information Technology framework, intermediaries are required to act against harmful content, particularly material involving sexual exploitation of children. Government sources noted that advertisements, unlike ordinary user posts, are expected to undergo pre-publication review. “The platform will have to explain how paid content of this nature could appear despite its stated policies,” a source said.
The controversy occurs against the backdrop of the Centre's push to hold platforms accountable for online harms, including content targeting children, obscene material, deepfakes, and cyber-enabled abuse. Meta stated that its teams are continuously working to improve its defences, develop new technology to identify predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies to help curb child exploitation online.
