Meta India Chief Appears Before NCPCR In Probe Over CSAM Ads Controversy, Submits Reply

New Delhi: Senior representatives from Meta India, including Managing Director Arun Srinivas, appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The deposition follows formal summons issued by the apex child rights panel as part of an ongoing statutory inquiry into paid advertisements promoting Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on Meta platforms, particularly Instagram.

Exposing Algorithmic Safeguard Failures

The regulatory action stems from a suo motu notice issued by NCPCR on July 3, triggered by a BBC Eye investigation.

The report revealed that Meta-owned Instagram displayed paid advertisements containing explicit search terms, including phrases like "rape video" and "child video", which redirected users to external Telegram channels where CSAM was offered for sale for amounts as low as Rs 99.

Crucially, the investigation highlighted that these were not merely user-uploaded posts buried in feeds, but paid promotional campaigns that passed through Meta’s automated ad-approval systems.

When initially flagged by reporters, Meta’s automated moderation feedback claimed the ad did not violate platform community guidelines, raising severe concerns regarding the efficacy of its content moderation filters.

Key Scrutiny and Statutory Obligations

The sworn hearing, chaired by NCPCR Chairperson Valeti Premchand alongside officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), focused on critical legal and operational areas:

1. POCSO Act Non-Compliance:

Investigating whether Meta violated mandatory reporting obligations under Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which requires immediate reporting of CSAM knowledge to local law enforcement.

2. Algorithmic Vetting:

Examining how automated ad-verification software permitted explicit promotional keywords to bypass filters and how recommendation algorithms interact with flagged content.

3. Intermediary Due Diligence:

Assessing compliance under Indian IT Rules governing platform liability and duty of care.

Mounting Multi-Agency Pressure

Meta has defended its record, stating it maintains zero tolerance for child exploitation and citing the automated removal of over 4 million suspicious accounts globally and 160,000 accounts in India earlier this year. However, the company faces growing pressure across multiple fronts:

1. MeitY Interventions:

The IT Ministry has ordered strict compliance audits while evaluating platform ad algorithms.

2. NHRC Probe:

The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Delhi Police to submit an Action Taken Report on mandatory POCSO reporting compliance.

Meta representatives submitted their written responses and verbal testimony before departing the NCPCR premises.

The Commission is currently evaluating the evidence under civil court powers before determining whether to issue official recommendations to the Union Government or initiate formal legal proceedings.

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