The Centre has directed officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to sources cited by PTI on Friday.
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has instructed the ministry to seek a detailed explanation from the social media company over how such advertisements were allowed to appear on Instagram despite the platform’s existing content moderation systems.
The government is expected to ask Meta to clarify the circumstances that led to the alleged ads being displayed and the safeguards in place to prevent such content from being promoted.
The development marks the second action taken by the Centre involving Meta this week.
On Wednesday, the government issued a notice to the company over WhatsApp’s proposed username feature, raising concerns that it could be exploited for online fraud, phishing attacks, digital arrest scams and identity impersonation.
The Centre directed WhatsApp to halt the rollout of the proposed feature until consultations with the government are completed and the concerns raised by authorities are adequately addressed.
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The notice also sought an explanation from Meta on why proceedings should not be initiated against the company under the Information Technology Act and the relevant rules, stating that the proposed feature could increase cybersecurity risks.
The government further reminded Meta that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is required to comply with the due diligence obligations laid down under the Information Technology Act and its associated rules.
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