Meta faces fresh scrutiny over CSEAM ads
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Saturday issued a notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) advertisements on Instagram, even as it extended the deadline for the company by three days to July 9 on the WhatsApp username issue.
The development came a day after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over Instagram ads allegedly promoting CSEAM.
MeitY has given Meta seven days to reply on the issue. “MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM,” the sources said.
The latest action from the ministry comes amid a report by the BBC that alleged Meta’s recommendation algorithm had been promoting videos containing child sexual abuse material, exposing serious gaps in the safeguards.
The BBC investigation had also allegedly found advertisements of this nature appearing on Facebook and Instagram, despite Meta’s advertising policies explicitly prohibiting nudity and sexually explicit content.
Instagram is alleged to have shown paid advertisements with terms like ‘rape video’ and ‘child video’, which directed users to Telegram channels where such content was reportedly on sale.
According to a person privy to the development, the Government is expected to seek answers on how such advertisements were even approved, what corrective measures Meta has taken since the allegations surfaced, and what safeguards it plans to put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“If the allegations are found to be true, they will be held accountable for the advertisements, for which the platform receives revenue,” one of the sources said.
Authorities have repeatedly warned technology companies that any failure to crack down on CSAM and other harmful content could invite regulatory scrutiny and legal action. Meta has come under regulatory glare for the second time this week.
In its response to the notice, 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.
Authorities have repeatedly warned technology companies that any failure to crack down on CSAM and other harmful content could invite regulatory scrutiny and legal action. Meta has come under regulatory glare for the second time this week.