India cracks down on Meta over child abuse content in ads

India's government has issued a notice to Meta, ordering the company to remove advertisements on Instagram that allegedly provided access to content related to child sexual exploitation and abuse, after paid ads on the platform were found to direct users toward such material.

Meta's portfolio of platforms includes Facebook.

The development was confirmed by relevant sources and first reported by India's NDTV.

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the directive to Instagram on Saturday (July 4), ordering the immediate removal of all advertising content that facilitates access to such material.

The ministry has also given the company seven days to submit a detailed explanation regarding the allegations.

The government said that failure to provide the required information within the stipulated time could result in legal action under India's information technology law and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

It has also directed Meta to take immediate, effective steps to halt what it described as the "algorithmic amplification" of such content.

The notice follows an investigative report by British broadcaster BBC, which alleged that Meta's recommendation algorithm was surfacing videos related to child sexual abuse to users, exposing serious gaps in the platform's safety systems.

The BBC investigation further alleged that despite Meta's own advertising policies prohibiting nudity and sexually suggestive content, such advertisements were appearing on both Facebook and Instagram.

According to the allegations, paid advertisements using certain objectionable search terms were being shown on Instagram. Clicking on these ads reportedly redirected users to various Telegram channels, where child sexual abuse material was allegedly being sold.

The Indian government has asked Meta to explain how such advertisements were approved, what corrective measures the company has taken since the allegations surfaced, and what safeguards it plans to implement to prevent similar incidents going forward.

A government source told India's PTI news agency that Meta cannot claim the defence of being a mere intermediary, or avoid responsibility for third-party content, when the allegations concern paid advertisements that promote child sexual abuse material.

One source said that if the allegations are proven true, Meta will be held accountable for the advertisements, since the platform profits financially from them.

Responding to PTI's questions about the BBC report, a Meta spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward soliciting, promoting, or sharing child sexual abuse material, including through advertisements.

The spokesperson said Meta uses advanced artificial intelligence technology to try to identify content and individuals that violate its policies in advance, but that it faces an ongoing struggle against bad actors hiding among its 3.5 billion users, who also attempt to evade detection systems.

The spokesperson added that Meta's specialist teams are continuously improving defence systems, developing new technology to identify and curb offenders, blocking links to policy-violating websites, and sharing intelligence with other technology companies so they can take necessary action as well.

India's information technology law provides for strict punishment for publishing or transmitting electronic content depicting children in sexually explicit acts. Section 67B of the law specifically applies to the publication, storage, and transmission of child sexual abuse material online.