Meta executives appear before NCPCR over child abuse advertisements

Senior executives of Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday in connection with its inquiry into advertisements related to child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on its platforms.

The NCPCR had, on July 3, taken suo motu cognisance of a BBC Eye report concerning advertisements related to CSEAM and sought an explanation from Meta Platforms, Inc.

Meta submitted its response to the commission a week later.

The commission subsequently decided to institute an inquiry to determine the facts of the matter. As part of the inquiry, it summoned Meta India's MD and Head to appear before it on Wednesday, officials said.

The development follows regulatory scrutiny over the availability and promotion of child sexual exploitation material through online platforms.

In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta over CSEAM advertisements on Instagram. It directed Instagram to disable all advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to CSEAM and sought a detailed explanation.

The action followed IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's direction to MeitY officials to summon Meta over the advertisements.

The BBC investigation had alleged that Meta's recommendation algorithm promoted videos containing child sexual abuse material and that advertisements appeared on Facebook and Instagram despite Meta's policies prohibiting nudity and sexually explicit content.

It also alleged that paid Instagram advertisements using terms such as "rape video" and "child video" directed users to Telegram channels where such material was reportedly being sold.