BBC News Investigation Reveals Instagram Still Hosting Child Sexual Abuse Content Ads, Casting Doubt on Meta's AI Moderation

BlockBeats News, July 13th, despite Meta's continued efforts to invest in AI infrastructure, a recent BBC investigation found that Instagram is still promoting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to users in India. Some of these ads were found to be "not violating community guidelines" by the platform's review system even after being reported.

The report stated that a test account created by the BBC received approximately 30 ads related to child sexual abuse content within a week without actively searching for such content. These ads directed users to Telegram channels to purchase illegal content. The Indian government has demanded Meta to take down these ads and explain why the review mechanism failed within 7 days.

The report mentioned that Meta's ad revenue reached $201 billion in 2025, accounting for about 97% of its total revenue. During the same period, its investment in AI infrastructure amounted to $72.2 billion, with plans to increase capital expenditure to between $125 billion and $145 billion by 2026. The article pointed out that the controversies Meta is currently facing are more related to platform governance and business incentives rather than inadequate AI technical capabilities.