Quick answer: The Tech Transparency Project identified 332 paid ads containing child sexual abuse material on Facebook and Instagram over 10 months, including several in India. The findings come two months after India's government ordered Meta to remove ads and content promoting such material on Instagram.
Meta ads in India are among hundreds of paid advertisements containing artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse imagery identified in a new campaign group report. The findings come two months after the Indian government ordered Meta to remove all ads and content promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Instagram.
The Washington-based Tech Transparency Project (TTP) says it found 332 advertisements containing CSAM that ran on Facebook and Instagram over the past 10 months. Several ran in India, although the available findings do not give a separate total for the country.
Most identified ads ran in August
Of the 332 advertisements identified by TTP, 274 ran in August 2026. That places the majority of the ads in a single month near the end of the period examined, rather than evenly across the 10 months.
The distinction between the overall findings and the India-specific evidence matters: 332 is the total identified across Facebook and Instagram, not a count of advertisements shown in India alone.
Findings follow India’s removal order
The Indian government’s direction to Meta followed an investigation that found Instagram was running paid advertisements promoting CSAM in India. The order covered both advertisements and other content promoting such material on Instagram.
TTP’s findings extend across two Meta platforms, Facebook and Instagram, while the Indian removal order described in the available material concerned Instagram. The new report identifies AI-generated abuse imagery in paid advertising, rather than focusing solely on ordinary user posts.
The central concern is the continued appearance of paid ads promoting child sexual abuse material, including in India, after government intervention. The available material does not include Meta’s response to the latest findings or details of any subsequent enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the report find on Facebook and Instagram?
The Tech Transparency Project says it identified 332 paid advertisements containing child sexual abuse material on Facebook and Instagram over the past 10 months. The report describes AI-generated abuse imagery, with 274 of the ads running in August 2026.
Were all 332 advertisements shown in India?
No India-specific total is provided in the available findings. Several advertisements ran in India, but 332 refers to the overall number identified across Facebook and Instagram.
What action did the Indian government take?
Two months before the latest report, the Indian government ordered Meta to remove all ads and content promoting child sexual abuse material on Instagram. The order followed an investigation identifying paid ads promoting such material in India.
