05 July,2026 04:38 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
The ministry has also sought an explanation from Meta and details of the action taken over the alleged advertisements. Representational pic
The government has issued a notice to Meta over alleged Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, government sources said told news agency PTI on Sunday.
The notice was issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Saturday evening, they said.
"MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the sources said.
The ministry has also sought an explanation from Meta and details of the action taken over the alleged advertisements. It has asked the company to submit a detailed response within seven days, government sources said.
The development comes a day after Union Information Technology (IT) Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material.
The latest action follows a media report that alleged Meta's recommendation algorithm had been promoting videos containing child sexual abuse material, exposing serious gaps in the platform's safeguards.
The report also alleged that advertisements of this nature appeared on Facebook and Instagram despite Meta's advertising policies prohibiting nudity and sexually explicit content.
According to the report, Instagram displayed paid advertisements carrying terms such as "rape video" and "child video", allegedly directing users to Telegram channels where such content was reportedly being sold.
According to a person privy to the development, the government is expected to seek answers on how such advertisements were approved, the corrective measures Meta has taken since the allegations surfaced, and the safeguards it plans to introduce to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Government sources said Meta cannot rely on the "third-party content" defence if the allegations involve paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material.
"If the allegations are found to be true, they will be held accountable for the advertisements, for which the platform receives revenue," one of the sources said.
While MeitY will examine the technical and regulatory aspects of the matter, any agency, authority, or individual may file a complaint against the advertiser or the platform if they believe offences under the law have been committed, the sources added.
The government has maintained a zero-tolerance approach towards CSEAM, requiring online platforms to promptly detect, remove and report such content while strengthening safeguards to protect children in the digital ecosystem.
The government has also, from time to time, blocked websites containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) based on lists received from Interpol through the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's national nodal agency for Interpol.
Authorities have repeatedly warned technology companies that failure to crack down on CSAM and other harmful content could invite regulatory scrutiny and legal action.
The latest development marks the second time this week that Meta has come under the government's scrutiny.
On Wednesday, the Centre issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp's proposed username feature, citing concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.
The government directed the platform to pause the rollout of the feature until consultations on the issue were completed "to the satisfaction of the Government".
Sources said WhatsApp would defer the rollout of the username feature.
Meanwhile, a Meta team met officials in the IT Ministry following the notice over the proposed feature.
Given that the timeline for submitting a detailed explanation on the usernames feature is three days, Meta will furnish its final reply as scheduled, the sources said.
The Centre had 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 cybercrimes.
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 rules framed under it.
(With PTI inputs)
