Meta continues to run ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India - report

What the report says

A new report from the US-based Tech Transparency Project says Meta platforms continued to carry paid ads promoting child sexual abuse material, including in India, despite earlier scrutiny and a government order to remove such content. BBC World News reports that the findings came after a BBC Eye investigation had already shown Instagram running paid adverts promoting CSAM in India, prompting Indian authorities to say they were reviewing the issue.

According to the report, 332 ads featuring CSAM or AI-manipulated child abuse imagery appeared on Facebook and Instagram over the past 10 months. The majority were detected in August, and about a quarter were linked to India. The report says many ads appeared to direct users to AI image or video generation tools, while some used real children’s photos that were altered with AI. BBC World News says TTP reported the ads to Meta and to the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Meta told the BBC that it does not tolerate child exploitation and said it uses stronger detection and enforcement, but the report says some ads remained visible even after being flagged. The issue matters because CSAM is a criminal offence in India and the findings raise questions about how effectively large platforms can police paid advertising, especially when content is quickly re-posted or disguised. The BBC also notes that advocacy groups in India are pushing for stricter reporting duties and platform accountability.