India to Summon Meta Over Instagram Ads Promoting Child Abuse Material

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has decided to summon Meta officials, the parent company of Instagram, for an explanation. This action follows a BBC investigation that revealed Instagram was running paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) within India.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed ministry officials to seek clarification from the social media giant. This is the second action against Meta this week by the Indian government. Previously, the government issued a notice to WhatsApp concerning its username feature, citing concerns over increased online fraud and impersonation.

The BBC investigation found that advertisements on Instagram used terms like "rape video" and "child video," directing users to Telegram channels where such material was reportedly sold for as little as Rs 99. The investigation discovered that the platform served approximately 30 unique ads promoting CSAM to a test account.

Meta has previously acknowledged that its review process is not perfect and may not catch all policy violations. However, the company stated it has removed several ads and suspended accounts after being directly contacted by the BBC. Meta also emphasized its ongoing efforts to improve proactive detection technology and user reporting mechanisms.