India Issues Notice to Meta Over Instagram Ads Allegedly Promoting Child S*x Abuse Material
The Centre has issued a notice to Meta after reports alleged that Instagram carried paid advertisements promoting or facilitating access to child sexual abuse material. MeitY has directed Instagram to disable such content immediately and asked Meta to submit a detailed explanation within seven days. The move marks the latest regulatory action against the company.
The Centre has issued a notice to Meta seeking an explanation after reports alleged that paid advertisements carrying child sexual abuse material appeared on Instagram. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed the company to disable all advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to such material and submit a detailed explanation within seven days, according to sources cited by ANI.
The action follows reports that Instagram advertisements allegedly promoted or facilitated access to child sexual abuse material in India, raising concerns over the platform's advertising review process and content moderation systems. The government has intensified its scrutiny of Meta over the issue.
MeitY Seeks Explanation From Meta
According to sources, the government issued the notice on Saturday evening. "MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the sources told PTI.
The Ministry has also asked Meta to submit a detailed explanation within seven days on how such advertisements were approved and displayed on the platform.
Government Raises Questions Over Ad Approval Process
Earlier, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to seek a detailed explanation from Meta regarding the reported advertisements.
The government is seeking clarity on the platform's advertisement approval process and whether existing safeguards failed to prevent the alleged content from appearing.
Increased Regulatory Scrutiny
This is the second time this week that Meta has come under increased regulatory scrutiny from the Centre.
Earlier, the government raised concerns over WhatsApp's proposed username feature and sought details regarding its potential misuse for cyber fraud and online impersonation.
Meta's Existing Safety Measures
Meta has previously stated that it uses a combination of artificial intelligence, automated detection tools and human review to identify and remove child exploitation material across its platforms.
The company has also acknowledged that no moderation system is completely effective and has said it continues to strengthen its detection and enforcement mechanisms to combat such abuse at scale.
The government is awaiting Meta's response to the notice. Further action, if any, is expected after the Ministry reviews the company's explanation and assesses its compliance with the directive.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2026 12:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
