Meta has finally responded following the government’s intervention and multiple reports alleging that Instagram ads in India violated child safety policies. The company said it has already removed several offending ads and advertiser accounts while expanding its investigation into the matter. In a statement, the company said some ads and accounts linked to reported content had already been detected and disabled by its automated systems before the reports surfaced publicly.
After reviewing the issue, Meta also stated that the removed additional advertisements, disabled more accounts and blocked external websites linked to policy violating material. The company also denied that its advertising systems intentionally targeted users based on inappropriate interests involving children. Meta also stated that it identifies the suspicious accounts and removed more than 4 million accounts globally last year that displayed potentially concerning behaviour related to children.
In a press release, the company also explained how its advertising review works. The brand said every ad goes through automated screening before it is published, followed by continuous monitoring even after it goes live. It evaluates images, videos, text and advertiser behaviour. If violations are detected, Meta can reject advertisements, suspend advertiser assets or permanently restrict business accounts from running ads across its platforms.
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The company also stated that it has a zero tolerance policy against child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity. According to the company, it removed 36 million pieces of child exploitation content globally last year. In India alone, its AI-powered detection systems helped remove 160,000 accounts in the past six months after identifying suspicious links and activity connected to child exploitation.
The company said it continues to report suspected child exploitation cases to law enforcement through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). In India, these reports are routed to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal in accordance with the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Rules, 2021.