Senior executives of Meta appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday in connection with the commission's inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM) on its platforms. Meta operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Details of the questioning were not immediately available.
The NCPCR had taken suo motu cognisance of a BBC Eye report on July 3 concerning alleged advertisements related to CSEAM. The child rights body sought an explanation from Meta Platforms, Inc., and the company submitted its response a week later. The commission subsequently decided to institute an inquiry to establish the facts surrounding the allegations.
As part of the inquiry, NCPCR summoned Meta India's Managing Director and Head of India to appear before the commission on Wednesday. The proceedings are part of wider regulatory scrutiny over concerns surrounding the alleged availability and promotion of child sexual exploitation material through online platforms and the safeguards used to prevent such content from being distributed or promoted.
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The matter also drew the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in July. The ministry directed Instagram to disable advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to CSEAM and sought a detailed explanation from Meta. The action followed IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's direction for officials to summon Meta over allegations involving advertisements on Instagram.
The regulatory scrutiny followed a BBC investigation that alleged Meta's recommendation systems had promoted content containing child sexual abuse material, raising questions about the effectiveness of safeguards on its platforms. The investigation also reported that advertisements allegedly appeared on Facebook and Instagram despite Meta's stated advertising policies prohibiting sexually explicit content.
According to the allegations cited in the investigation, some Instagram advertisements used search terms associated with child sexual abuse and directed users towards Telegram channels where such material was reportedly offered for sale. The NCPCR inquiry and government action are focused on establishing the facts and examining whether online platforms adequately prevented the promotion or facilitation of such illegal material.
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