PM Modi had released a video on July 23 calling paper leak a serious issue. Meta had removed it from 12:30 AM to 5:00 AM.
The Centre has summoned Meta’s global team for a high-level meeting on 5–6 August to address concerns over the company’s handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content moderation practices.
During the meeting, the government is expected to raise concerns over Meta’s alleged failure to effectively curb Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), the spread of AI-generated fake or synthetic content, and the alleged wrongful action taken against the verified accounts of prominent political leaders and other VIPs.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reportedly found Meta’s responses to these issues so far to be inadequate.
Strictness increased after PM Modi’s post was removed
This meeting has been scheduled after the recent controversy over a video post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi being temporarily removed from Facebook. Following this incident, the government has tightened its scrutiny of Meta’s platforms’ content moderation policies, automated systems, and the accountability of big-tech companies.
However, according to sources, Meta has expressed regret over the removal of PM Modi’s video and is also ready to offer a formal apology for this.
Actually, PM Modi had released a video on July 23, describing paper leaks as a serious issue. Meta had removed it from 12:30 AM to 5:00 AM. But later it was restored. Meta clarified that it was actually a technical error.
Issue of CSAM in Instagram advertisements also raised
Meta is under scrutiny not only in the VIP post deletion case but also in other serious security-related matters. Earlier, the government had issued a show cause notice to Meta regarding the promotion and dissemination of child CSAM through paid ads, i.e., sponsored advertisements on Instagram. In the meeting on August 5-6, the government will also review what corrective measures the company has taken following that notice.
BBC Report – Content related to sexual exploitation available cheap on Meta
- A BBC report has claimed that child sexual abuse material is present on Instagram. In India, paid advertisements were running on Instagram that used words like ‘rape video’ and ‘child video’.
- After clicking on these advertisements, users were sent to Telegram channels, where content related to alleged child sexual exploitation was being sold at a very low price of 99 rupees.
- According to the report, all advertisements appearing on Instagram go live only after approval from Meta’s moderation system.
- When BBC complained to Instagram about one such advertisement, the company responded after about 24 hours that the post did not violate its community guidelines. After this, BBC demanded a response from Meta on this matter. Then the company said that it had removed several advertisements, suspended related accounts and claimed to have removed those URLs.
- Meta also acknowledged that no moderation system is completely perfect and the review process cannot identify every rule violation.
Bhaskar Knowledge: Creating and possessing content related to child sexual exploitation is a crime in India
Question 1: What is the law regarding content related to child sexual exploitation in India?
Answer: Creating, possessing, viewing, sharing, selling or broadcasting content related to child sexual exploitation is a crime.
Question 2: What is the punishment under Section 67B of the IT Act?
Answer: For first-time offenders, imprisonment up to 5 years and a fine up to 10 lakh rupees. For repeat offenses, imprisonment up to 7 years and a fine.
Question 3: What is the responsibility of social media companies?
Answer: Under India’s IT Rules, 2021, social media platforms must take swift action to remove illegal content. They must cooperate with investigating agencies. They must take appropriate technical measures to identify and prevent content related to child sexual exploitation.
Question 4: What should one do if such content is seen?
Answer: Do not download, share or forward it. Report immediately on the relevant platform. File a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Portal. If necessary, inform the local police or cyber cell.
Question 5: What can the government do in this matter?
Answer: Can demand a response from the social media company. Can direct the platform to remove the content. Can initiate criminal investigation through investigating agencies. Can take action under IT laws for violation of rules.
Question 6: Is only the platform responsible?
Answer: No. Individuals who upload, buy, sell, share or knowingly disseminate such content also come under the purview of criminal action under Indian law.
