Meta says it has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse content, highlights AI-powered detection

New Delhi- Meta has reiterated its zero-tolerance policy against the solicitation or sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including through advertisements, saying it relies on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to proactively detect and remove such content while continuously strengthening its safety systems.

In a statement issued on Sunday, a Meta spokesperson said the company remains engaged in an ongoing battle against criminals who attempt to bypass its detection mechanisms by operating among its 3.5 billion users.

"Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection," the spokesperson said.

According to Meta, its specialist teams are constantly enhancing the platform's defences by developing new technologies to identify child predators, blocking links to websites hosting abusive material, and sharing intelligence with other technology companies to help curb the spread of such content.

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The statement comes amid reports that Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon Meta representatives over advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse that appeared on Instagram.

Sources said the ministry is expected to seek an explanation from the US-based technology company on how such advertisements were allowed to appear on Instagram and what safeguards are in place to prevent similar incidents.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is also likely to be asked to explain its advertisement review procedures, content moderation framework and the systems it uses to detect, remove and prevent child sexual abuse-related content across its platforms.

Officials are also expected to seek details about the company's enforcement mechanisms and the additional steps it is taking to strengthen protection against illegal and harmful content.

The development follows the government's recent request to WhatsApp to delay the rollout of its username feature in India until further consultations are held. Responding to the concerns, WhatsApp said usernames will remain optional and that multiple safeguards have been built into the feature to help prevent impersonation, scams and unwanted contact before its broader launch later this year.

With inputs from IANS