India's IT Ministry has summoned Meta to explain Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material, intensifying government scrutiny on the tech giant's content moderation and platform safety practices.
Key Points
- IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered Meta to be summoned over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
- The IT Ministry will seek an explanation from Meta regarding the presence of CSAM on its platforms.
- This is the second government action against Meta this week, following concerns over WhatsApp's new username feature and potential cybercrime risks.
- A BBC investigation revealed Meta's algorithms promoted CSAM videos and ads on Facebook and Instagram, despite content policies.
- The Indian government reminds Meta of its due diligence obligations as a significant social media intermediary under IT Act rules.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials in his ministry to summon Meta over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material, sources said on Friday.
The IT ministry will seek an explanation from Meta on the issue, they added.
Government Scrutiny On Meta Platforms
This is the second instance this week when the government has turned up the heat on Meta.
On Wednesday, the Centre issued a notice to Meta questioning the planned username feature on WhatsApp, citing concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.
It directed the platform to pause the feature until consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government".
The Centre had also asked Meta to explain why action shouldn't be initiated under the IT Act and rules over WhatsApp's new feature that may increase cybercrimes.
The government also reminded Meta that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is bound by due diligence obligations under the IT Act and rules.
The latest move follows a BBC investigation that alleged Meta's recommendation algorithm had been promoting videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), exposing serious gaps in its safeguards.
The report also found advertisements of this nature appearing on Facebook and Instagram, despite Meta's advertising policies explicitly prohibiting nudity and sexually explicit content. An email sent to Meta for comment on the government action and BBC report did not elicit a response.
