India to summon Meta over child sexual abuse content

India's technology minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has instructed his team to summon Meta Platforms Inc. to address concerns over child sexual abuse material circulating on its subsidiary Instagram. The directive, issued on July 3, comes after a BBC investigation revealed the presence of such content within Instagram advertisements.

Government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the minister's order. Meta has not yet commented on the specific summons. However, the company responded to the BBC report by reiterating its "zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing" such content. Meta also stated that its teams are continuously working to enhance its protective measures.

This action by India's tech ministry is part of a broader scrutiny of Meta's services in the country, its largest market with 600 million WhatsApp users. The ministry had previously ordered Meta to halt the rollout of WhatsApp's new "usernames" feature, citing fears it could facilitate online fraud and impersonation. Meta is expected to provide a response to these concerns by the weekend.

India has a history of regulatory friction with Meta, with previous run-ins concerning privacy and encryption. The latest move underscores the Indian government's increasing assertiveness in regulating global technology platforms operating within its borders, particularly concerning user safety and potential misuse of services.

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Meta has a “zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing” such content, it said in a statement, adding that its teams were constantly working to improve defenses.