The Indian government has escalated its regulatory measures against Meta, after issuing an official notice demanding that the company remove paid advertisements on Instagram that are suspected of promoting or facilitating access to materials related to child sexual abuse. The company is required to respond within seven days and clarify the actions it will take to prevent such incidents from recurring.

The government’s move came following a BBC investigation, which indicated the use of advertising tools on Instagram to promote accounts and websites linked to child sexual exploitation materials. This was achieved through the use of coded words, symbols, and hashtags that help access this content despite the platform's policies prohibiting it.

Meta ordered to remove advertisements

Indian authorities have demanded that Meta immediately remove all questionable advertisements and take urgent action to prevent the platform’s systems from promoting or amplifying content related to child sexual exploitation. The company is also required to clarify why such advertisements appeared among paid advertisements despite the existence of announced regulatory policies.

The government warned that failure to provide the required response or delay in taking corrective actions could open the door for legal action against the company under India’s Information Technology Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Meta emphasizes in its policies that sexual exploitation of children is one of the most serious violations of its community standards, noting its reliance on artificial intelligence technologies, automated detection systems, and human review, along with collaboration with specialized entities, to detect and remove this type of content.

This is the second government notification Meta has received in India within days, after the company discussed with the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology plans to launch the user name feature on WhatsApp, amid official concerns that it could be exploited for identity theft, phishing, and digital fraud.

The Indian government had requested the company to postpone the launch of the feature in the country until it provided details of the security guarantees and measures it intends to implement before making them available to users.