The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to Meta and the police chiefs of eight states over alleged violations linked to pornographic and age-inappropriate content on Instagram and Facebook that may potentially contain Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said the availability of paid content containing CSAM on Instagram could amount to a punishable offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Kanoongo said such allegations require a criminal investigation.
The human rights watchdog has sought responses on the steps being taken to detect, remove and investigate such content. The development adds to growing regulatory attention on Meta in India.
As part of its proceedings, the NHRC has directed authorities in the eight states to examine the allegations and take action where required. The Information Technology Secretary has also been included in the matter. Kanoongo said the commission has already shared 50 URLs with the relevant authorities to aid the investigation.
The NHRC's action comes just a few days after Meta officials met senior officials at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), amid growing government scrutiny of the company's content moderation practices.
According to PTI, the discussions focused on the temporary removal of PM Modi's Gen Z outreach video, with government officials seeking an explanation for the incident. Officials also raised concerns over Meta's compliance with existing regulatory expectations. Meta has maintained that the video was taken down due to an "erroneous takedown", describing the removal as an unintended error.
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