Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 5: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has intensified its scrutiny of Meta over the alleged circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on Instagram and Facebook, issuing a fresh notice while continuing to monitor an earlier investigation linked to reports alleging the promotion of such content on the platforms. The Commission has sought action reports from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), multiple state police agencies and Meta within a week.
In its August 3 notice, the NHRC took cognisance of a complaint submitted by a non-profit foundation, which said it had received an anonymous tip regarding pornographic and age-inappropriate links on Instagram and Facebook that could contain CSAM. The foundation stated that it annexed the URLs solely for investigation and did not access, download, view or store the content, citing compliance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The Commission directed the Secretary of MeitY, the Directors General of Police of West Bengal, Chandigarh, Haryana, Odisha and Delhi, along with Meta’s Head of Law Enforcement (India), to submit detailed Action Taken Reports within one week.
Police authorities have been instructed to examine the URLs through cyber crime or Special Juvenile Police Units, register FIRs wherever cognisable offences are disclosed, identify and prosecute those responsible, coordinate with MeitY, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and Meta, and ensure immediate rescue of any identified child victims for production before the Child Welfare Committee.
The NHRC also directed MeitY to report on blocking the identified URLs, action taken against the intermediary and long-term child safety measures. Meta has been asked to remove the content, preserve metadata and IP logs, report the matter under Section 19 of the POCSO Act and provide details of its preventive mechanisms.
The latest proceedings follow the Commission’s July 8 notice based on BBC World Service reports alleging that paid Instagram advertisements promoted CSAM and redirected users to Telegram channels where such material was allegedly offered for sale. Separately, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has decided to initiate a formal inquiry after examining Meta’s response to its earlier notice on the matter.
