Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 5: The Centre has issued a notice to Meta over the alleged presence of child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, directing the company to immediately remove such content and submit an explanation within seven days, according to official sources.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has instructed Instagram to disable all advertisements and content that promote or facilitate access to child sexual abuse material on its platform.
The action follows a BBC Eye investigation, which alleged that Instagram displayed paid advertisements containing terms related to child sexual abuse that redirected users to Telegram channels where illegal content was reportedly being sold for as little as Rs 99.
According to the report, the advertisements had cleared Instagram's moderation process before appearing on the platform.
As part of its investigation, the BBC created a test Instagram account in India and followed several profiles posting sexually suggestive content. Within days, the account reportedly began receiving advertisements offering explicit material, including content depicting children in sexually suggestive situations linked to Telegram channels.
The investigation identified around 30 unique advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material, along with several advertisements featuring adult pornographic content.
Among the reported advertisements were images allegedly depicting minors in sexually explicit situations and content suggesting the sexual exploitation of children.
The BBC also claimed that Instagram initially determined one of the reported advertisements did not violate its community standards despite the nature of the content.
Following queries from the broadcaster, Meta said it had removed the reported advertisements, suspended the associated accounts and blocked URLs linked to policy-violating content.
The company acknowledged that no moderation system is flawless and said it continues to use automated detection systems and user reports to identify content that violates its policies even after advertisements are published.
Meta also stated that whenever it detects apparent child exploitation, it reports the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Government sources said MeitY is awaiting Meta's response and has directed the company to ensure the immediate removal of all advertisements and content facilitating access to child sexual exploitative and abuse material from Instagram.