New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed officials to summon Meta representatives to seek a formal explanation regarding paid advertisements on Instagram that promoted Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), according to sources.
In a notice issued on Saturday evening, MeitY directed Instagram to disable all advertisements and content promoting and facilitating access to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). The government has also sought a detailed explanation from the company within seven days, the sources added.
The action follows a media report claiming that Instagram hosted paid advertisements containing disturbing keywords linked to other social media channels where such material could be accessed.
Earlier, according to sources, the ministry had taken cognisance of reports alleging that Instagram displayed objectionable content promoting child sexual abuse and directed officials to seek a response from Meta.
IT officials are seeking answers on how these advertisements bypassed Meta’s pre-publication review and moderation process. The government is also reviewing whether the platform has complied with India’s intermediary safety guidelines.
Distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence in India under its digital laws.
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 said that after being alerted, it disabled the offending advertisements, suspended the violating accounts and blocked the associated URLs.
Under Section 67(B) of the IT Act, publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts or related content in electronic form is a punishable offence.
According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) refers to material containing sexual images in any form of a child who is abused or sexually exploited. Content on social media platforms is governed by their content policies and community guidelines, and users can report or flag material they believe violates those guidelines.
