Government to summon Meta over reported Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material

PTI, July 3, 2026, New Delhi: IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta over reported Instagram advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sources said on Friday.

The IT Ministry will seek an explanation from Meta, they added.

This is the second instance this week in which the government has taken action involving 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 should not be initiated under the Information Technology Act and the relevant rules over WhatsApp's proposed feature, which it said may increase cybercrime.

The government also reminded Meta that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is bound by due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act and the relevant 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 seeking comment on the government's action and the BBC report did not elicit a response.

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