The Indian government has issued a stern notice to Meta over the use of child sexual abuse material in advertisements. The tech giant has been ordered to disable all such content and provide a detailed explanation within seven days. The missive came less than a day after the Centre took cognisance of the allegations and decided to summon Meta. The I-T Ministry also issued a notice to Meta over the proposed WhatsApp username feature earlier this week — signalling a widening regulatory focus on the company’s products in India.
A source told news agency PTI that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had “ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material”. MeitY has also demanded a detailed explanation within 7 days.
What are the allegations?
The matter had come under scrutiny following a BBC investigation that claimed Instagram hosted paid advertisements with disturbing keywords. Reports indicated that such content also included links to other social media channels where they can be purchased.
Distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence in India under its digital laws. According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, CSEAM refers to material containing sexual images in any form of a child who is abused or sexually exploited.
What has Meta said?
In its response to the media report, Meta acknowledged that no moderation system is perfect but highlighted a “zero tolerance” policy towards CSAM. The company reported that upon being alerted, it disabled the offending advertisements, suspended the violating accounts, and blocked the associated URLs.