Govt directs Meta to remove ads on Instagram promoting child sexual abuse content, seeks reply in 7 days
PTC News Desk: The Centre has issued a strong notice to Meta over the alleged presence of child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, according to reports.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed Instagram to immediately remove all advertisements and content that promote or provide access to such illegal material. The government has also asked Meta to explain the issue and submit a detailed response within seven days.
The action follows a BBC Eye investigation, which found that Instagram was displaying paid advertisements containing terms such as "rape video" and "child video". The report alleged that some of these ads directed users to Telegram channels where child sexual abuse material was being sold for as little as ₹99.
As part of its investigation, the BBC created a test Instagram account in India and followed several profiles that posted sexually suggestive content. Within days, the account reportedly started receiving advertisements for explicit content. Later, it was shown ads featuring children in sexually suggestive situations and links to Telegram channels.
After being contacted by the BBC, Meta said it had removed several of the advertisements, suspended the accounts involved, and blocked URLs linked to content that violated its policies.
The company acknowledged that its moderation systems are not perfect and may sometimes fail to detect all policy violations. Meta said it continues to monitor advertisements after they go live using automated detection tools and also relies on user reports to identify and remove harmful content.
- With inputs from agencies
