From Usernames To Child Sexual Abuse Ads: India Tightens The Noose Around Meta

Just days after pulling up Meta over WhatsApp’s upcoming username feature, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is preparing to seek an immediate explanation from the social media giant again, this time over allegations that Instagram carried paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday directed MeitY officials to summon Meta on the matter of ads, sources said.

According to a BBC World Service investigation published on July 3, Instagram displayed advertisements containing terms such as “rape video” and “child video”, which redirected users to Telegram channels selling CSAM for as little as ₹99.

The report also alleged that Instagram’s recommendation system surfaced sexually explicit content before serving these advertisements.

The development marks the latest regulatory scrutiny for Meta in India. Earlier this week, the ministry issued a notice to WhatsApp over its planned username feature, citing concerns around impersonation, fraud and identity misuse.

Officials are currently evaluating whether the existing legal framework is sufficient to address risks that could emerge if usernames become a primary way for users to discover and contact each other.

The scrutiny has since widened beyond WhatsApp. MeitY has also issued formal notices to Telegram and Signal, seeking details about their username features, the safeguards in place to prevent fraud and impersonation, and in Telegram's case, the justification for continuing to offer the feature.

As per sources, the government is concerned that usernames, which allow users to connect without sharing phone numbers, could make it harder to trace users and enable identity fraud.

Following the notice over WhatsApp's username rollout, a Meta delegation met MeitY officials on Friday. Ministry officials reiterated their concerns around the feature, while Meta is expected to submit its detailed response within the three-day timeline set by the government.

What Did The BBC Investigation Find?

The BBC reported that it created a new Instagram account in India and followed 10 accounts posting suggestive, but non-explicit content. Within days, the platform allegedly began recommending advertisements featuring adult pornography before escalating to ads promoting CSAM.

The investigation claimed that Meta’s automated ad review system approved these advertisements. It also said Instagram initially declined to remove one reported advertisement, stating that it did not violate the platform’s community guidelines. The advertisement was later removed after the BBC approached Meta for comment.

Responding to the findings, Meta told the BBC that child exploitation is a “horrific crime” and said it had removed the identified advertisements, disabled the associated accounts and blocked URLs linked to policy-violating content.

The company added that while no moderation system is perfect, it continues to improve its detection capabilities and reports child exploitation cases to the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), as required by law.

Meanwhile, Telegram told the BBC that it had removed more than 274,000 groups and channels linked to CSAM in 2026 and said it uses both automated and human moderation to tackle such content.