Centre Tightens Scrutiny of Meta, Seeks Reply Over Child-Related Instagram Ads
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Centre has intensified its scrutiny of Meta, directing the social media giant to explain the appearance of objectionable advertisements related to children on Instagram, even as the company remains under government scrutiny over WhatsApp's proposed username feature.
According to sources, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has taken serious note of the advertisements and asked Meta to respond.
Government seeks explanation from Meta
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will seek a detailed response from Meta on:
- Why objectionable advertisements related to children appeared on Instagram.
- What systems were in place to prevent such advertisements.
- What action has been taken to stop similar content from appearing in the future.
The development comes as the Centre steps up oversight of major digital platforms over user safety and online fraud concerns.
WhatsApp username feature under scrutiny
Meta is also facing government scrutiny over WhatsApp's proposed username feature.
The Centre had earlier directed the company to withhold the rollout of the feature in India, citing concerns that it could facilitate:
- Online fraud.
- Phishing attacks.
- Digital arrest scams.
The government also issued a notice to Meta, expressing concerns that the feature could be misused unless adequate safeguards are in place.
Officials instructed the company not to introduce the feature until the government's concerns are satisfactorily addressed.
WhatsApp defends the feature
Responding to the concerns, WhatsApp said in a statement on Wednesday that the username feature has been designed with user privacy and security in mind.
The company said:
- Robust safeguards have been built to prevent fraud and misuse.
- The feature is intended to allow users to communicate without sharing their personal phone numbers.
WhatsApp also noted that India is its largest market, with more than 500 million active users, significantly exceeding Telegram's user base in the country.
It said-
- The feature will be entirely optional.
- Unknown users will not be able to search for a person's phone number.
- Usernames will also not be searchable.
- Users will receive advance warnings for messages from unknown contacts.
- Existing security features, including Block and Report, will continue to function as before to help users deal with unwanted or abusive messages.
