Meta executives appear before India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) as part of an inquiry into allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM/CSAM), multiple reports say. In one hearing described by a news outlet, Meta officials acknowledge an error and agree to strengthen a child-safety reporting mechanism.
The NCPCR begins its proceedings after taking suo motu cognisance of a BBC Eye/World Service report. According to reports, the commission issues a notice to Meta’s parent company in early July seeking an explanation, then moves to a formal inquiry after reviewing Meta’s response. The allegations focus on how such ads appeared on Instagram and on the platform’s systems, including moderation and recommendation/visibility mechanisms, with some coverage also citing that ads allegedly used specific terms and directed users to channels on Telegram.
The inquiry runs alongside separate action by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which directs Delhi Police to investigate and to examine compliance with mandatory reporting obligations under the POCSO Act. Some outlets also report that India’s government ordered Instagram to disable relevant ads/content in July and that Meta previously routed reports of such cases through a US-based mechanism, with plans discussed for direct reporting to Indian law enforcement via the cybercrime portal managed by I4C.
