IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Directs MeitY to Summon Meta Over Instagram Child Abuse Advertisements

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officials to summon Meta over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material. This represents the second regulatory action initiated by the Indian government against the technology company within a single week, news agency PTI reported.

The ministry will issue a formal notice demanding an explanation from the social media company. Authorities will also seek detailed information on the corrective actions Meta has taken regarding the allegations of child sexual abuse material advertisements across its platforms, government sources reported to PTI.

The BBC Investigation Findings

A BBC investigation recently alleged that Meta's recommendation algorithm promoted videos containing child sexual abuse material, exposing serious gaps in the company's safeguards.

Paid advertisements containing terms like 'rape video' and 'child video' appeared on Facebook and Instagram, despite policies explicitly prohibiting sexually explicit content. These advertisements directed users to Telegram channels where such content was reportedly sold, according to the BBC report.

The upcoming government notice will ask Meta how these advertisements were approved. Authorities will also inquire about what corrective measures have been taken since the allegations surfaced and what future safeguards the platform plans to implement.

A government source said to PTI, "If the allegations are found to be true, they will be held accountable for the advertisements, for which the platform receives revenue."

Legal Framework and Liability

Section 67B of the Information Technology Act criminalises publishing, transmitting, creating, downloading, storing or distributing electronic material depicting children in sexually explicit acts. Government sources reported to PTI that Meta cannot claim a 'third-party content' safe harbour defence for paid advertisements that generate revenue for the platform.

The Indian government maintains a zero-tolerance approach to child sexual abuse material. Authorities routinely block illegal websites based on Interpol lists received through the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Responding to the BBC report, a Meta spokesperson said to PTI via email, "We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defences, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too."

WhatsApp Username Dispute

On Wednesday, the Centre issued a separate notice to Meta to pause its planned WhatsApp username feature. The government cited concerns that the update could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks.

A Meta team subsequently met with IT Ministry officials. WhatsApp has now agreed to defer the rollout of the username feature.

Meta has a three-day timeline to submit its final reply explaining why action should not be initiated against it under the Information Technology Act and rules. The government explicitly reminded Meta of its strict due diligence obligations as a significant social media intermediary.