Instagram Ads Link to Illicit Content
An investigation conducted by BBC Eye has uncovered that Instagram, a platform owned by Meta, has been displaying paid advertisements in India that promote child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These advertisements, observed by the BBC World Service, reportedly utilized terms such as "rape video" and "child video," directing users to Telegram channels where such content was available for purchase for as little as 99 rupees (approximately $1).
Instagram's Moderation and Meta's Response
Instagram's policy mandates that all ads undergo approval by its moderation technology before publication. When the BBC initially reported one of these ads to Instagram, the platform responded after 24 hours, stating that the post did not violate its "community guidelines." However, upon further inquiry from the BBC to Meta, the parent company asserted that it had already deactivated several advertisements and suspended the associated accounts. Meta further stated that it had removed additional ads, disabled more accounts, and blocked URLs that violated its policies, in response to the BBC's findings.
The Investigation's Methodology and Findings
The BBC established an alias Instagram account in India to investigate the proliferation of sexualized content. This was prompted by observations that the platform was pushing sexually suggestive material even without explicit searches. The alias account followed ten individuals who posted revealing content. Within a week, Instagram began displaying ads featuring women offering video calls and explicit content. Days later, advertisements depicting children in sexually suggestive situations, with links to Telegram channels, started appearing.
Approximately 30 unique ads promoting child sexual abuse were identified, some of which were shared by multiple accounts. The alias account also encountered around 20 ads for adult pornography. Both the distribution of CSAM and adult pornography are illegal in India, and Meta's own policies prohibit ads containing adult nudity, genitals, or content that exploits or endangers children.
Concerns from Legal and Former Company Officials
Madan Lokur, a retired justice of India's Supreme Court, expressed alarm, suggesting that Instagram was "making money by participating in a criminal activity." He indicated that this issue is significant enough for the Supreme Court of India to take suo moto cognisance, potentially leading to government action against social media platforms. Justice Lokur emphasized that despite legal protections for social media companies regarding user-uploaded content, platforms cannot shirk their responsibility.
Brian Boland, a former vice-president at Facebook (now Meta), who contributed to the development of the company's advertising and marketing business, described the BBC's findings as "horrified and unsurprised." He stated that he left the company due to a perception that they "didn't care about users anywhere." Boland suggested that Instagram's algorithm, designed to maximize user engagement and revenue, could inadvertently lead to the promotion of more extreme content if not aggressively managed for user safety. He recounted a past experience where he was able to remove a significant portion of the company's revenue in favor of user safety, but noted a shift over time where the balance between revenue and user experience became more challenging.
Telegram's Role and Response
Telegram stated that it had removed over 274,000 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026. The BBC reported two channels to Telegram for selling CSAM videos; one was subsequently taken down, while the other continued to post new content. Critics have previously accused Telegram of insufficient action against illicit content. The Dubai-based company is not a member of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) or the Internet Watch Foundation, organizations that work to identify and remove such material.
Meta's Broader Statement and Legal Challenges
Meta issued a statement to the BBC, asserting that "Child exploitation is a horrific crime and Meta works aggressively to fight it on our apps." The company denied knowingly and deliberately targeting ads featuring children to users with inappropriate interests and rejected claims of prioritizing revenue over safety. Meta highlighted its efforts in 2025, where it automatically disabled over four million accounts for suspicious behavior and stated its commitment to improving defenses and sharing intelligence with other companies.
Earlier this year, Boland testified against Meta in a New Mexico trial where the company was accused of misleading users about platform safety for children. The court ordered Meta to pay $375 million, a verdict the company intends to appeal.
Reporting and Collaboration
US-based social media companies are mandated to report CSAM to the NCMEC Cyber Tipline, which then refers reports to relevant law enforcement agencies. In 2025, India received 1.9 million reports, second only to the United States. Shikha Goel, director of the Cyber Security Bureau in Telangana, India, noted that Meta platforms generate the most tiplines, attributing this to potentially effective algorithms for tracking CSAM. The Rati Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, also reported that the majority of CSAM reports it receives originate from Meta platforms. However, co-founder Siddharth Pillai noted challenges with criminals using the seamless navigation from Instagram to Telegram to evade moderation efforts.
Experts indicate that CSAM in India is often created by criminal groups like human traffickers, though family and community members can also be involved. Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, stressed the need for increased reporting, improved technical skills for police, and international cooperation to combat organized crime effectively.
Source: Original Article
