Meta has come under the target of Indian government for the second time in the same week. First a notice on the proposed username feature of WhatsApp and now preparations have been made to summon the company in the case of alleged obscene advertisements related to children on Instagram. Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has directed officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to seek answers from Meta. The action follows a BBC investigation which claimed that paid advertisements appeared on Instagram that were directing users to Telegram channels where child sexual abuse material was allegedly being sold for Rs 99. The government now wants to know how such advertisements passed through Instagram’s review system and what steps the company took to stop them.
big things in news
- The central government is preparing to summon Meta in connection with alleged obscene advertisements related to children on Instagram.
- A BBC investigation claimed that some paid ads on Instagram were taking users to Telegram channels, where objectionable content was allegedly being sold for Rs 99.
- MeitY will ask Meta how such ads passed its review system and what action was taken to stop them.
- This week, the government has also issued a notice on the proposed username feature of WhatsApp and asked to stop its rollout.
- India is Meta’s biggest market, where WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook combined have more than one billion users.
- According to Statista, the market value of Meta is around $1.48 trillion and the company’s revenue in the year 2025 will be $200.1 billion.
For the second time in a week, Meta came under the target of the government.
For the second time this week, the central government has adopted a strict stance against Meta. Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has directed MeitY officials to summon the company and seek answers on the entire matter. The ministry wants to know how child-related porn ads allegedly appeared on Instagram, even though every ad goes through the company’s review system. The government will also ask what concrete steps has been taken so far by Meta to prevent such incidents. According to sources, the ministry will seek detailed clarification from the company and also wants to know the future action plan.
What came out in the BBC investigation
According to BBC investigation, some paid advertisements appeared on Instagram in India in which words like child video and rape video were used. After clicking on these advertisements, users were being sent to Telegram channels, where pornographic content related to children was allegedly being sold at a price of Rs 99. According to the report, BBC investigated by creating a new Instagram account in India. Within a few days, first obscene posts and then advertisements started appearing on that account in which children were shown in an objectionable manner. BBC claimed that it has shared information about about 30 such advertisements and the Telegram channels associated with them with Indian authorities.
When questions were raised on the review system, what did Meta say?
The report said that every advertisement of Instagram goes live only after getting approval from the company’s moderation and review system. Despite this, such advertisements appeared on the platform. According to the BBC, when she complained about one of these ads, Instagram responded about 24 hours later that it did not violate its community guidelines. Later Meta said that no system is completely correct. According to the company, it has removed many advertisements, suspended the accounts that posted them, blocked many URLs and has also taken action against other accounts that violate the policy.
Government’s strict stance on WhatsApp username feature too
Before the Instagram controversy, this week the central government had also sent a notice to Meta regarding the proposed username feature of WhatsApp. The government says that this feature can increase the risk of cyber crimes like online fraud, phishing, digital arrest and identity copying. The IT Ministry has told Meta that this feature should not be implemented until negotiations with the government are completed. The ministry has also asked the company why action should not be taken against it under the Information Technology Act and its related rules. After receiving the notice, Meta’s team also met Meitei officials. The company has been given three days to give a detailed reply.
India is Meta’s biggest market, impacting crores of users
India is considered the world’s largest market for Meta. According to Statista and other digital reports, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Threads have more than 1 billion users in India. WhatsApp has more than 60 crore users in India. Instagram is reported to have more than 41 crore users, while in some reports its advertising reach is more than 48 crore and the estimated reach is up to 55 crore. Facebook also has about 40 to 50 crore users. According to the data of June 2026, there were about 70.68 crore users of Facebook alone in India, while the age group of 25 to 34 years uses social media the most. This is the reason why any dispute related to Meta directly affects crores of Indian users.
Young users are the highest, the share of men is higher
According to digital audience reports, the largest segment of Meta’s platform in India is people between 25 to 34 years, whose share is about 33.3 percent. After this come the youth of 18 to 24 years, who are considered to be the most active users. According to reports, about 63 percent of the total user base of Meta is of people below 35 years of age. If we look at gender, about 68 to 70 percent of the users are men, while the share of women is between 30 to 32 percent. This is the reason why issues of security and content moderation related to Instagram and WhatsApp are discussed on such a large scale.
The power of Meta is so great, now questions are being raised on it.
According to Statista, the market value of Meta is approximately $1.48 trillion. The total assets of the company are more than $366 billion, while the net asset i.e. total equity is about $217 billion. In the year 2025, the company’s annual revenue will be approximately $200.1 billion and net profit will be $60.46 billion. Despite being among the world’s largest tech companies, Meta is now facing constant government scrutiny and accountability in India. First questions were raised on the features of WhatsApp and now the issue of allegedly obscene advertisements related to children on Instagram has become a new challenge for the company.
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