Instagram running ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India, BBC finds
The ministry ordered Meta to explain how ads with explicit child abuse terms were approved and said the company must disable them within 7 days.
- On Friday, a BBC Eye investigation revealed Instagram displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material to users in India, with ads linking to Telegram channels selling illegal content.
- Meta relies on automated technology to approve advertisements, which failed to block content using terms like "rape video" and "child video," directing users to Telegram channels where illegal material sold for around $1.
- The BBC documented around 30 unique CSAM advertisements and approximately 20 adult pornography ads; when reported, Instagram initially replied the content did not violate "community guidelines," though Meta later suspended accounts and blocked URLs.
- Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to summon Meta officials, while Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur expressed concern that Instagram was "making money by participating in a criminal activity."
- Meta stated it is "categorially inaccurate" to suggest it deliberately targeted such ads, noting it disabled more than four million accounts in 2025, while Telegram claimed it removed over 274,000 channels linked to CSAM in 2026.
92 Articles
92 Articles
Meta faces possible action in India over ads promoting child abuse
The Indian government has warned of action against two of Meta’s platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp, within a week over the presence of Child Sexual Exploitative & Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, according to Indian broadcaster DD News. The government directed Instagram “immediately disable all advertisements and content that promote” child abuse and has sought a detailed explanation from Meta within seven days, the re…
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly served a notice to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, demanding the removal of paid advertisements that "promote" child sexual abuse on the platform.
Bloomberg calls the Indian govt's notice directing Meta to remove child sexual abuse content a 'regulatory headache': How the focus shifted from protecting children to compliance burden
Bloomberg has received backlash for the Indian government’s notification to Meta for the removal of child porn, a ‘regulatory headache’ for the US tech giant.
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