Instagram has been running paid ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India, with some ads using terms like “rape video” and “child video” to link users to Telegram channels where they can buy the material for as little as 80 cents.
The ads were approved by Instagram’s moderation technology and were only removed after the BBC reported them, with the Indian government summoning representatives of Instagram’s parent company, Meta, hours later.
Child Abuse Material on Instagram
Meta has since disabled several adverts and suspended the accounts posting them, and has also removed additional ads, disabled more accounts, and blocked URLs for other content that violated its policies.
Telegram, meanwhile, has removed over 274,000 groups and channels related to child sexual abuse material this year, highlighting the ongoing struggle to combat online exploitation.
The BBC’s investigation used an alias account on Instagram to track the platform’s moderation, finding that it was pushing sexually suggestive content even when users hadn’t searched for it.
Implications and Response
The discovery of these ads has sparked outrage and concern, with the Indian government taking swift action to address the issue and Meta scrambling to repair its damaged reputation.
The incident highlights the need for social media platforms to take greater responsibility for the content they host and to improve their moderation practices to prevent the spread of harmful and exploitative material.
