Meta has issued a clarification amid the controversy over alleged child sexual abuse material (CSAM)-related advertisements on Instagram, stating that it follows a “zero tolerance” policy towards content that seeks or shares such material, including advertisements. In a statement on Sunday, a Meta spokesperson said the company uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to proactively detect and remove content that violates its policies. The spokesperson added that Meta continuously strengthens its safety systems to combat offenders attempting to evade detection across its platforms, which collectively serve around 3.5 billion users.”Meta has a zero-tolerance policy for seeking or sharing CSAM, including through advertisements. We use advanced AI to proactively identify violating content and accounts, while continuing to fight offenders who try to hide among our 3.5 billion users and evade our detection systems,” the spokesperson said. The clarification comes after reports claimed that Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta officials over the alleged appearance of advertisements promoting child sexual abuse on Instagram.
According to sources, the ministry may seek an explanation from the US-based technology company on how such advertisements appeared on the platform and what safeguards are in place to prevent similar incidents. Officials may also seek details about Meta’s advertisement review process, content moderation systems, enforcement mechanisms and measures to detect, remove and prevent CSAM on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.