Meta is once again under fire for its failure to police its own advertising ecosystem, with a new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) confirming that hundreds of paid ads featuring AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were allowed to run on Facebook and Instagram.
The investigation identified 332 such advertisements over a ten-month period, with a significant portion appearing in India—even after the Indian government explicitly ordered the company to remove all content promoting CSAM.
The TTP report highlights a disturbing pattern of negligence, noting that dozens of these illicit ads were published after Meta had already met with Indian officials to discuss the issue.
In many instances, Meta’s automated moderation systems failed to flag the content, and when researchers attempted to report the ads manually, the company’s internal review process frequently claimed the material did not violate advertising standards.
Meta’s defense—that it relies on automated systems and reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—rings hollow to critics who point out that the platform is effectively profiting from ads that direct users to third-party applications designed to facilitate further exploitation.
With ads appearing even after the company was notified of their existence, it is clear that Meta’s current enforcement mechanisms are woefully inadequate.
As Indian authorities and advocacy groups push for stricter legal accountability, the tech giant continues to hide behind the excuse that 'no system is perfect' while its platforms remain a pipeline for heinous content.
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