Meta on Sunday, 5 July issued a strong defence of its child safety record, asserting a zero tolerance policy against the solicitation or sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — including through advertisements — after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) moved to summon the company's officials over reports of CSAM-promoting advertisements appearing on Instagram.

What Meta Said

A Meta spokesperson stated that the company deploys advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to proactively detect and remove violating content and individuals across its platforms. The spokesperson acknowledged the scale of the challenge: 'Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection.'

The spokesperson further said that Meta's expert teams are continuously improving the company's defences, developing new technologies to identify predators, blocking links to websites that host abusive content, and sharing intelligence with other technology firms to enable coordinated action.

Government Action: MeitY to Summon Meta

The statement follows reports that Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY to summon Meta officials after advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse surfaced on Instagram. According to sources, the ministry is expected to seek a formal explanation from the US-based technology company on how such advertisements cleared its review systems and what safeguards exist to prevent the circulation of such content.

Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — is also reportedly set to be asked to detail its advertisement review processes, content moderation infrastructure, and the specific measures it has adopted to detect, remove, and prevent child sexual abuse-related content across all three platforms. The ministry is expected to seek specifics on enforcement mechanisms and steps being taken to further strengthen protections against illegal and harmful content.

Broader Context: Centre's Scrutiny of Meta Platforms

This development comes days after the Centre asked WhatsApp to defer the rollout of its username feature in India pending regulatory consultations. In response, WhatsApp clarified that usernames would be optional and stated that multiple safeguards had been built into the feature to prevent impersonation, scams, and unwanted contact ahead of its wider rollout later this year.

Notably, this is not the first time Meta's platforms have faced government scrutiny in India. The company's content moderation practices and compliance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 have been a recurring point of friction between the Centre and large social media intermediaries. The latest episode signals an escalation in regulatory pressure, particularly on child safety obligations.

What Happens Next

The summoning of Meta officials by MeitY is expected to set the agenda for a broader review of how major platforms handle CSAM-related advertising. Industry observers note that the outcome could influence how India frames its forthcoming Digital India Act obligations for platforms with large user bases. Meta has not yet publicly confirmed the date or details of the ministry meeting.