Rights Panel Seeks Answers Over Instagram Ads Linked To Child Abuse Material
The National Human Rights Commission of India is investigating allegations that Instagram advertisements were used to facilitate access to child sexual abuse material. The commission has demanded reports from government ministries and police regarding compliance with the POCSO Act.
Why it matters
This highlights critical failures in social media content moderation and the urgent need for stricter enforcement of child protection laws in the digital age.
A bench of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) headed by Priyank Kanoongo has taken cognizance of allegations concerning paid advertisements on Instagram that allegedly facilitated access to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM/CSEAM), and has sought point-wise Action Taken Reports (ATRs) within two weeks from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), and the Delhi Police.The matter arose from media reports by the BBC World Service alleging that paid advertisements using terms such as "rape video" and "child video" were displayed on Instagram and redirected users to Telegram channels where such material was allegedly offered for sale.
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