The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a notice to the US giant, Meta, ordering it to remove all child sexual abuse material appearing in advertisements on Instagram.The ministry has sought a detailed response from Meta within seven days. It also said failure to provide the requested information could result in legal action.The social media platform allegedly displayed advertisements containing objectionable terms, which directed users to Telegram channels where such material was reportedly being sold.The government asked how such advertisements were approved, what corrective measures Meta had taken since the allegations surfaced and what safeguards it planned to put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.In a statement earlier, Meta said it has a “zero-tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing” such content, adding that its teams were constantly working to improve its defences.The government’s action follows reports and an international media investigation alleging that paid advertisements on Instagram were directing users to external platforms hosting child sexual abuse material. Some advertisements allegedly used coded language and links to facilitate access to illegal content.Distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence in India under the digital laws.California-headquartered Meta owns popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.Reports also claimed that the content was allegedly approved through Instagram’s advertising system despite Meta’s policies prohibiting such material. Authorities are assessing whether the platform fulfilled its obligations under the Information Technology Act and other applicable regulations governing online intermediaries.Advertisements linked to such content have also raised serious questions about the effectiveness of automated screening tools and human moderation employed by digital platforms.This is the second recent instance in which the government has taken action involving Meta. Earlier, the government had questioned Meta over the planned rollout of WhatsApp usernames, citing concerns about potential misuse for fraud and impersonation.