Meta India Head Summoned By NCPCR Over Child Sexual Abuse Material

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned Meta India’s Managing Director and Head to appear before it on September 9 in connection with an inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM).

The development comes amid wider regulatory scrutiny of Meta’s handling of harmful content, including questions around its moderation systems and intermediary protections under Indian law.

The NCPCR had issued a notice to Meta Platforms on July 3 seeking an explanation, to which the company responded a week later, according to news agency ANI.

NCPCR Expands Inquiry Into Meta

After examining Meta’s submission, the Commission decided to institute an inquiry to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the allegations.

The company’s India leadership has now been asked to provide further information as part of the ongoing proceedings, ANI reported.

The summons followed a suo motu action initiated by the child rights body after a media report by BBC Eye raised allegations concerning advertisements on Meta-owned platforms.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had earlier directed the Delhi Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into allegations that paid advertisements on Instagram promoted Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in India.

According to ANI, the NHRC also asked the police to examine whether Meta and other entities concerned had complied with mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The NHRC sought an Action Taken Report from the Delhi Police on July 8 and followed up with another letter on July 29.

Meta Faces Broader Scrutiny In India

The NCPCR proceedings come as Meta faces broader questions in India over how its platforms moderate and distribute content.

Outlook Business earlier reported that government discussions with Meta officials have included concerns over CSAM, deepfakes, recommendation systems and the need for stronger human oversight in sensitive cases.

Authorities have also sought safeguards to prevent previously removed synthetic content from resurfacing and better moderation of Indian languages and cultural contexts.

The wider debate has also touched on Meta’s safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The provision generally shields intermediaries from liability for user-generated content, subject to statutory conditions and due diligence requirements.

However, the issue is whether such protection could face greater scrutiny when platforms play an active role in moderating, recommending or amplifying content.

For now, the NCPCR inquiry is focused on establishing the facts surrounding the CSEAM-related allegations and examining Meta’s response. The September 9 appearance could provide further clarity on the company’s handling of the matter.