THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

After govt notice, Meta details child safety steps Meta revealed new child safety measures after an Indian government notice regarding Instagram ads. The company disabled numerous offending accounts and advertisements using advanced artificial intelligence tools. Meta stated its systems detect suspicious off-platform links and other exploitation signals. Globally, over four million accounts were removed last year for suspicious child-related activity. The company continues to invest in technology and work with law enforcement agencies.

Stop child sex abuse ads on Insta at once: Govt to Meta Government has issued a stern directive to Meta, demanding the immediate removal of all paid advertisements and content on Instagram promoting child sexual abuse material. Authorities are demanding a detailed explanation within seven days regarding how such ads were permitted and what safeguards are being implemented to prevent future occurrences. This action follows reports of Instagram ads being used to direct users to illegal content.

Centre issues notice to Meta on Instagram ads linked to child sexual ... The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a notice toMeta-owned Instagram, directing the social media platform to disable all advertisements and content promoting and facilitating access to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The government has also askedMeta to provide a detailed explanation, within a week, on why and how the platform had allowed users to post paid advertisements containing such material. The notice was sent Saturday evening after BBC reported that Instagram was allowing paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India. “The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on the issue. MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSAM, and sought a detailed explanation within seven days,” a senior government official said. A Meta spokesperson said the company has a “zero-tolerance” policy on sharing such content, and thatInstagram deploys artificial intelligence (AI) toolsto proactively detect it. “Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use adv…

Meta's woes deepen in India as child abuse ads on Instagram draw ... The Indian government has warned of action against two ofMeta'sthree major platforms, WhatsApp and Instagram, within a week, underscoring the growing regulatory risks the U.S. social media giant faces in a key market. On Saturday, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a "stern notice to Metaover the presence of Child Sexual Exploitative & Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram," according to a report by Indian state broadcaster DD News. The government has directed Instagram to "immediately disable all advertisements and content that promote" child abuse and has sought a detailed explanation from Meta within seven days, the report said. The regulatory warning to Meta came after an investigation by the BBC revealed on Friday that Instagram was running paid advertisementspromoting child sexual abusematerial in India. Meta has a "Zero tolerance policy" for child abuse-related content, a spokesperson for Meta told CNBC in an email. The company is using "AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with crimina…

Child abuse ads on Instagram: Govt to summon Meta The government is demanding answers from Meta following disturbing reports of paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram within the country. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has instructed officials to secure a formal explanation from the tech giant. Authorities will probe Instagram's ad review processes, pre-publication checks, and the company's response to the issue, seeking details on their screening mechanisms and preventative measures.

India isn't Meta's first child safety row, but may be its most serious yet At first glance, a recentBBC Eyeinvestigation appears to suggest that India has become the latest hotspot for Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Indian government has responded swiftly, with the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) preparing to summon Meta after the broadcaster found that Instagram had carried paid advertisements directing users to illegal content. India is Meta's single largest market by users. Facebook has more than 375 million users in the country, while Instagram is estimated to have well over 400 million monthly active users, making it the platform's biggest audience globally. India has also become a key driver of Meta's advertising business as brands shift spending to digital platforms, even though advertising rates remain lower than in mature markets such as the US and Europe. The scale of the Indian market also presents unique challenges. Content moderation must contend with dozens of languages, regional dialects and coded expressions that evolve rapidly to evade detection. Researchers and digital rights group…

Centre to summon Meta officials over Instagram ads 'promoting' child ... The ministry of electronics and information technology will summonMetato seek an explanation overInstagramadvertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material inIndia, a government official said on Friday. The move follows directions from electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. “IT minister has directed MeitY officials to summon Meta on the matter of Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India. MeitY will seek an explanation from Meta on the issue,” the official said. The government’s action comes amid growing scrutiny of Meta’s content moderation systems. A BBC Eye investigation published Friday reported observing around 30 unique advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material, which it reported to the platform and Indian authorities. HT could not independently establish whether the ministry’s decision to summon Meta was directly linked to the BBC investigation. According to the BBC, Instagram displayed advertisements containing phrases such as “rape video” and “child video” that directed users to Telegram channels allegedly selling ch…

India Summons Meta Over Instagram Ads Promoting Child Sexual Abuse ... India summons Meta over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse content India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has ordered officials to summon representatives from Meta. The tech giant is being asked to provide a formal explanation following allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram were used to promote Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), according to sources familiar with the matter. In a notice issued on Saturday, the ministry ordered Instagram to disable all such advertisements and any content facilitating access to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). The government has also sought a detailed response from Meta within seven days, the sources added. The action comes after a media report alleged that Instagram hosted paid ads containing disturbing keywords that directed users to external social media channels where such content was reportedly being circulated or sold. A BBC Eye investigation has found that Instagram was running paid advertisements in India promoting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), raising serious concerns over platform…

Meta in more trouble with govt? IT Minister summons company over ... US tech giant Meta is reportedly in more hot water with the Centre, with Union Information Technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directing officials to summon the company over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material, according to a PTI report citing sources. They added that the ministry is seeking an explanation fromMetaon the issue. This is the second instance this week when the government has turned up the heat on Meta. According to an ANI report today citing sources, representatives from the company met with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officials to discuss the Centre's notice over WhatsApp's proposedusernamesfeature. Officials apprised Meta of the government's concerns regarding the feature and gave the company three days to furnish a detailed explanation, they added. Quick answers to key questions The Indian government is summoning Meta to explain Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material, with the Union IT Minister seeking further details on the issue. The Indian government is concerned that the username feat…

Centre cracks whip on Meta over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered officials to summon Meta following reports of Instagram advertisements featuring child sexual abuse material. This action highlights growing concerns about objectionable content on social media and the effectiveness of content moderation on platforms like Instagram. The ministry is seeking answers regarding the platform's handling of such serious issues.

Government issues stern notice to Meta on child sexual abuse material in Instagram ads: Sources “MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM,” the sources said, adding that the Ministry also demanded a detailed explanation within seven days

Centre Issues Notice To Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse Content In ... The Centre has issued a notice to Meta after allegations emerged that paid advertisements on Instagram were used to promote access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM). The government has directed the company to remove such content immediately, explain how the advertisements were approved, and detail the safeguards it will implement to prevent similar incidents. Government Directs Immediate Removal Of Alleged CSEAM Content The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Saturday served a notice to Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, ordering the immediate removal of all content that allegedly facilitated access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM). According to sources, the ministry has sought a detailed explanation from the company within seven days, warning that failure to comply or furnish the required information could invite legal action under the Information Technology Act as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The notice also calls for urgent corrective measures to curb what the government …

Government to summon Meta over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material The Centre had also asked Meta to explain why action shouldn't be initiated under the IT Act and rules over WhatsApp's new feature that may increase cybercrimes

Govt issues notice to Meta over child sexual abuse material in ... The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, sources said on Sunday. The government issued the notice on Saturday evening, they added. "MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the sources said. The development came a day after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material. The ministry has demanded an explanation and information on action taken in its notice to Meta over child sexual abuse material advertisement allegations, government sources said. MeitY has also demanded a detailed explanation within 7 days. The Menlo Park, California-headquartered technology giant Meta owns popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The latest action from the ministry comes amid a BBC report that alleged Meta's recommendation algorithm had been promoting videos containing child sexual abuse material, exposin…