Kathmandu— Facing a probe regarding alleged advertisements related to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM), Meta has admitted that illegal content was promoted and paid promotions were carried out for specific audiences. The company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, apologized to the Indian government over CSAM, deepfake content, and errors in operating the social media platform.

Government Scrutiny Intensifies

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has decided to institute an inquiry into allegations that advertisements on Meta-owned Instagram promoted child sexual abuse material. The commission sent a notice to Meta last month following media reports by the BBC Eye, and the company responded after a week.

Additionally, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed Delhi Police to conduct a comprehensive probe into these allegations and examine whether tech companies complied with mandatory reporting obligations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Meta's Response

A high-level delegation led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan met MeitY Secretary S Krishnan on Wednesday to explain the reasons behind erroneous content takedowns, including the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video. During a 45-minute meeting, Meta officials apologized for CSAM and deepfake content issues.

Meta has also acknowledged that it is not covered under the definition of an “intermediary” where they select who receives content, and safe harbor provisions under the Information Technology Act do not apply.

Political Pressure Mounts

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, has written to the Ministry of IT and Home Affairs demanding that Mark Zuckerberg apologize within three days for the removal of PM Modi’s video. If an apology is not forthcoming, they threaten to revoke safe harbor protection currently provided to social media platforms.

Dubey also questioned Meta's viewership algorithm, suggesting it gives preference to newcomers over established content creators.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.