The Central Government has taken a strict stance regarding paid advertisements and content related to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on the social media platform Instagram and has directed Meta to remove them immediately. According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has instructed Meta to take down all such paid advertisements and content that facilitate user access to CSEAM or assist in making it available.
Instagram must remove content related to child sexual exploitation
Sources indicate that the Central Government made it clear in the notice that any material related to the sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked Meta to immediately disable all such paid advertisements and related content on Instagram. Furthermore, it must be ensured that such content does not appear on the social media platform in the future.
Meta must respond to the government within 7 days
Sources state that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has given Meta seven days to respond to this matter. The government has asked Meta how such content and advertisements appeared on Instagram and what steps have been taken so far to prevent them. The government has demanded a detailed report and an explanation from Meta regarding how such a lapse occurred in its content moderation systems and advertisement review processes.
Questions raised regarding Meta’s algorithms
Additionally, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has told Meta that if its algorithms are playing any role in amplifying content related to sexual exploitation to a wider audience, that practice must be stopped immediately. The Central Government believes that immediate action should be taken against any technology or algorithmic system that promotes such content.
Move taken amidst growing concerns over child safety
It is noteworthy that the Central Government has taken this step amidst rising concerns regarding the safety of children on social media platforms. The responsibility of social media companies is not limited to merely removing objectionable content; it also extends to developing robust technical systems to identify such content and prevent its dissemination.
