MeitY reviews Meta reply over Instagram CSAM ads after notice

MUMBAI: When the algorithm becomes the story, every click demands an answer. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is examining Meta’s response to the government’s notice over allegations that Instagram carried paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with IT Secretary S. Krishnan saying appropriate action will follow after the review.

“We’ve received a reply from Meta on the issue of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The response was received on Saturday and is currently under examination. Appropriate action will be undertaken after due examination,” Krishnan said on Monday.

The development follows MeitY’s notice directing Meta to immediately remove Instagram advertisements and content allegedly promoting or facilitating access to CSAM, while seeking a detailed explanation within seven days.

The notice was triggered by a BBC Eye investigation published on July 3, which alleged that Instagram carried paid advertisements in India promoting child sexual abuse material. According to the report, the advertisements used explicit search terms and redirected users to Telegram channels where the illegal content was allegedly being sold for as little as Rs 99. The investigation further claimed that some of the advertisements had been approved by Instagram’s automated moderation systems.

Responding to the allegations, Meta reiterated that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards child sexual abuse material, including in advertisements.

The company said it deploys advanced artificial intelligence tools to proactively detect offending content but acknowledged that it remains in a constant battle against criminals attempting to evade its detection systems across its 3.5 billion users. Meta added that it continues to strengthen its moderation technology, block links to offending websites and share intelligence with other companies to curb online exploitation.

According to sources, MeitY has sought detailed information on how the advertisements were approved, the safeguards in place to prevent such content from appearing, the effectiveness of Meta’s moderation and detection systems, and the corrective measures being introduced to prevent similar incidents.

The BBC investigation said it created a test account in India to examine Instagram’s recommendation and advertising systems. Within days, the account reportedly began receiving advertisements containing explicit references to child sexual abuse material that redirected users to Telegram channels.

The report also alleged that when one such advertisement was initially reported, Instagram concluded that it did not violate its community guidelines. Following questions from the BBC, Meta said it disabled several advertisements, suspended the accounts involved, removed additional offending ads and blocked related URLs.

The controversy has intensified scrutiny of how major social media platforms moderate advertising content and enforce safety standards, particularly where automated systems are responsible for approving paid promotions.

Separately, the Centre has also issued notices to Meta-owned WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, seeking details about their username-based features and the safeguards in place to prevent fraud, impersonation and misuse, signalling a broader regulatory push to tighten oversight of digital platforms operating in India.