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Meta Defends Instagram After India Orders Removal of Ads Promoting Child Abuse

The ministry has given Meta seven days to explain how the ads passed review and the response will test whether automated checks and human moderation stop paid posts that link to off‑platform trafficking.

Overview

  • Meta published a detailed blog on Tuesday saying its automated systems and manual reviews had already identified and disabled several violating Instagram ads and the accounts behind them before the recent reports.
  • India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a formal notice directing Instagram to disable ads and content that promote child sexual exploitative material and demanded a detailed reply by July 11.
  • A BBC investigation reported that paid Instagram ads promoted child sexual abuse material and that Meta’s recommendation systems amplified abusive videos while some ads redirected users to Telegram channels where material was allegedly sold for ₹99.
  • Meta released enforcement figures saying it removed about 4 million suspicious accounts globally and 36 million pieces of child‑exploitation content last year and that Indian systems disabled roughly 160,000 accounts in the past six months.
  • Independent checks that found some violating ads still accessible keep regulatory scrutiny high and could push Indian authorities to press Meta for stricter ad‑review controls, faster link‑blocking and clearer proof of enforcement results.