Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have continued to run hundreds of paid advertisements featuring artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse imagery (CSAM), with a significant portion appearing in India, according to a report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP).
The Washington-based campaign group identified 332 such ads over the past 10 months, with 274 appearing in August alone. The findings emerge two months after the Indian government directed Meta to remove all ads and content promoting CSAM on its platforms in the country. This directive followed an investigation by BBC Eye that also found paid advertisements promoting CSAM on Instagram in India.
The TTP report, published recently, states that the identified ads included manipulated images of real children, with more than a dozen remaining on Meta's platforms even after TTP alerted the company. Approximately a quarter of the ads, 84 in total, ran in India. Crucially, 78 of these Indian ads were published after the government's order and subsequent meetings with Meta officials.
In response to the BBC's inquiry about these findings, Meta stated, "We don't tolerate nudify apps or any kind of child exploitation, whether real or AI-generated. These criminals constantly shift tactics to evade detection, which is why we keep strengthening our detection and enforcement."
The distribution of CSAM is a criminal offense in India. Meta's policies prohibit advertisements that sexually exploit or endanger children. When Meta becomes aware of suspected child exploitation, it reports such cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States, in line with its legal obligations.
However, Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, a network of over 250 organizations in India focused on preventing violence against children, argues that reporting to NCMEC is insufficient. His organization has filed a petition with India's Supreme Court, referencing the BBC's findings, seeking directives for social media platforms to implement mandatory reporting and identification of individuals promoting CSAM.
Several Indian agencies, including the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the National Human Rights Commission, have stated they are investigating the matter following the BBC's earlier investigation.