Bhubaneswar, July 5 (newsalert24x7): In a massive regulatory crackdown, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed the IT Ministry (MeitY) to summon top Meta officials. The move comes after highly alarming reports surfaced showing paid advertisements allegedly promoting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) circulating on Instagram.

Responding swiftly to the government's severe backlash, the US-based social media conglomerate—which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—asserted on Sunday that it maintains a strict "zero tolerance" policy against such heinous content and is deploying advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to fight online predators.

MeitY Demands Full Accountability

According to top ministry sources, MeitY is set to corner Meta on several critical compliance fronts:

  • Ad Review Failure: Meta must explain how graphic, illegal content bypassed its paid advertisement review pipelines and automated safety protocols.
  • Content Moderation Breakdown: The government will seek a detailed audit of Meta's human moderation teams and automated filters operating within the Indian market.
  • Enforcement Deficiencies: The tech giant will be forced to present a concrete roadmap on how it plans to permanently block, report, and prevent the recirculation of CSAM across its platforms.

Meta Blames Sophisticated Criminal Networks

Defending its position, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company is trapped in a non-stop, cat-and-mouse digital war with highly organized criminal networks attempting to weaponize its ecosystem.

"Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads," the spokesperson said. "We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection."

Meta added that its specialized cyber-safety teams are actively working to build next-generation defensive tech, mass-blocking external web links that host abusive content, and exchanging real-time threat intelligence with rival tech firms to purge predators from the broader internet.

Growing Friction Between New Delhi and Meta

This emergency summons marks the second major point of friction between the Modi government and Meta in recent days.

Just last week, the Centre ordered WhatsApp to immediately freeze the rollout of its upcoming "Username" feature in India until extensive regulatory consultations are completed. While WhatsApp clarified that the feature would remain completely optional and contain strict anti-impersonation safeguards, New Delhi remains highly vigilant regarding user safety, cyber scams, and public data security.

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