India Summons Meta Over Instagram Ads Promoting Child Abuse Material

India's IT ministry has summoned Meta executives to provide an explanation regarding advertisements on the Instagram platform that have allegedly promoted child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The directive comes after a media report revealed that the platform hosted ads linking users to Telegram channels where such content was being sold.

If verified, this represents a significant failure in Meta's content moderation systems. The company's policies state that all ad posts are reviewed, primarily through automated systems, with human oversight for uncertain cases. Meta has previously stated that its systems include "proactive detection technology" and review reported ads, but acknowledged that some violations may go undetected.

This marks the second instance of regulatory scrutiny for Meta in India this week. Earlier, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reportedly asked WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, to halt the rollout of its proposed username feature and provide an explanation.

The issue underscores broader concerns about the safety of social media platforms, particularly regarding the protection of minors from harmful content. Several Indian state governments have proposed measures to restrict children's social media usage, and the central government has also reportedly been discussing similar limitations.