NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed officials to summon representatives of Meta to seek a formal explanation over paid advertisements on Instagram that allegedly promoted Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), according to official sources.
The ministry, in a notice issued on Saturday evening, directed Instagram to immediately disable all advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). It has also sought a detailed explanation from the company within seven days.
The action follows media reports alleging that Instagram hosted paid advertisements containing disturbing keywords that redirected users to other social media platforms where such illegal material could allegedly be accessed or purchased.
Sources said MeitY has sought answers on how the advertisements bypassed Meta’s pre-publication review and content moderation systems. The government is also examining whether the platform has complied with India’s intermediary safety guidelines.
Distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence under Indian law. Section 67B of the Information Technology Act makes the publication or transmission of material depicting children in sexually explicit acts in electronic form a punishable offence.
Responding to the reports, Meta reiterated its “zero tolerance” policy towards child sexual abuse material. The company said it had removed the offending advertisements, suspended the accounts responsible and blocked the associated URLs after being alerted.
According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) includes any sexual images or content involving the abuse or exploitation of children. Social media platforms are required to enforce their community guidelines and provide users with mechanisms to report content that violates these standards.
