Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has instructed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta officials regarding Instagram advertisements that reportedly promoted child sexual abuse. The ministry plans to question Meta on how these ads surfaced on Instagram and the measures in place to prevent such content circulation.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is expected to clarify how these ads were permitted on its platform and detail the actions taken to identify, delete, and stop child sexual abuse-related content. Additionally, the ministry aims to understand Meta’s content moderation procedures, ad review protocols, and efforts to enhance enforcement against illicit and harmful content on its platforms.
The government’s move follows the suspension of WhatsApp’s username rollout in India. WhatsApp assured that the upcoming username feature will be voluntary and emphasized the inclusion of safeguards to prevent scams, impersonation, and unwanted contact. The messaging platform addressed concerns on a microblogging platform after the government requested a delay in the feature’s launch pending consultations.
