The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is currently reviewing Meta's response to a government notice regarding child sexual exploitation material (CSEAM) advertisements on Instagram. According to IT Secretary S Krishnan, the reply has been received by the ministry and is under examination before deciding whether any further action is required. As reported by Hindustan Times, the ministry had earlier indicated that Meta's public blog post would not be treated as the formal explanation sought by the ministry, making a separate submission mandatory. Meta has now provided this formal response, with a government official confirming that "We have received Meta's response and are reviewing it." IT Secretary Krishnan stated on Monday that "the reply was received by the IT Ministry on Saturday, which was the last due day for the reply. And based on an examination of the reply, appropriate action would be taken."
The government notice was issued on July 4 following directions from Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a BBC Eye investigation reported that Instagram advertisements allegedly directed users to external channels associated with child sexual abuse material. The investigation alleged that it had identified around 30 unique advertisements on Instagram containing terms linked to child sexual abuse, with users clicking on those advertisements being redirected to Telegram channels allegedly used to distribute illegal material. The investigation specifically claimed to have found advertisements featuring terms such as "rape video" and "child video" that redirected users to these channels. Meta was required to remove the content immediately and explain how such advertisements appeared on its platform, with the company submitting its response by July 11. A media investigation claimed Instagram served advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material and directing users to external messaging platforms, raising questions about the effectiveness of Meta's advertising review process.
Meta outlined its comprehensive efforts to combat child sexual exploitation material across its platforms, publishing a statement rejecting suggestions that it deliberately allowed or targeted such advertisements. The company said it prohibits child sexual exploitation on its platforms and relies on automated systems to detect suspicious activity, remove violating content and disable offending accounts. According to Hindustan Times, Meta removed more than four million accounts globally last year that showed potentially suspicious behaviour involving children, with enforcement teams taking action against around 36 million pieces of child exploitation-related content across Facebook and Instagram. In India specifically, the company's AI-powered systems disabled approximately 160,000 accounts over the past six months for suspected child safety violations. Before submitting its formal reply, Meta published a blog post on July 7 rejecting allegations that it knowingly targeted users with advertisements related to child sexual exploitation material in India, stating "It is categorically inaccurate to suggest that we'd knowingly and deliberately target ads featuring children to people based on an inappropriate interest in children. Quite the opposite; we use technology to identify accounts that have shown potentially suspicious activity related to children, and we automatically removed over 4 million of these accounts last year."
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) responded by issuing a comprehensive notice to the company, asking how such advertisements were approved despite its moderation safeguards. The ministry directed Meta to immediately remove the reported advertisements, explain its review process and detail the steps being taken to prevent similar incidents. The ministry also sought information on how advertisements are vetted before publication and what additional measures are being introduced to strengthen enforcement against child sexual exploitation content. Addressing the controversy in a blog post, Meta said "We're aware of recent news reports about Instagram ads in India that violated our policies against child exploitation. And we want to be clear: we take these concerns seriously, we never want this content on our platforms, and we're committed to improving our efforts to combat it." The company has promised to continue investment in technology and resources to keep young people safe and strengthen its ad review processes.
