The Indian government has directed Meta to immediately disable advertisements and content on Instagram that promote or facilitate child sexual abuse material.
According to reports, this comes after a BBC Eye investigation found that Instagram has been running paid adverts promoting child sexual abuse material in India.
Reports indicate that the government also sought an explanation within a week on how paid advertisements containing such material were allowed on the platform.
However, according to Meta, it has a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material and is continuing to strengthen its detection and defences.
India directs Meta to take down child abuse ads from Instagram
The government notice has been reportedly issued days after the BBC Eye Investigation was published.
However, neither the government nor Meta confirmed whether the notice was issued specifically in response to the BBC’s film.
The BBC set up a new alias Instagram account in India after noticing the platform was pushing sexually suggestive content even when users had not searched for it.
The account followed 10 such profiles and, in less than a week, Instagram began showing the alias account paid adverts featuring adult pornography.
Despite that, Meta alled it “categorially inaccurate” to suggest it knowingly and deliberately targeted ads featuring children to users with an inappropriate interest in such material and denied prioritising revenue over safety.
