India's electronics and information technology ministry directed Meta late Saturday to immediately disable all paid Instagram advertisements and content that facilitate access to child sexual exploitative and abuse material, acting within hours of a BBC Eye investigation that revealed how promoted posts using Hindi-language obscene keywords routed Indian users to Telegram channels where, the broadcaster alleged, illegal videos were sold for as little as ₹99. Ministry sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the government has given the company seven days to submit a detailed explanation of how the ads cleared automated moderation and what corrective action it has taken, with officials treating the case as a serious breach of India's intermediary safety framework.

Meta acknowledged the failures, noting it had suspended the offending accounts, disabled the ads and blocked associated URLs. A spokesperson insisted the company applies “zero tolerance” to child exploitation and uses advanced artificial intelligence to detect violators, but added that criminals constantly adapt to evade detection. The Indian cybercrime statute, Section 67B of the IT Act, criminalises the publication and transmission of such material, and the government is now scrutinising whether Meta's advertising review systems complied with the stricter standards expected for paid promotions. Analysts in New Delhi view the move as part of a wider regulatory tightening on foreign technology platforms, deepening the friction that has characterised India's relationship with Silicon Valley firms over content moderation and local data storage.

In a separate regulatory intervention, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday cautioned the public against a proliferation of Instagram accounts that falsely claim to advise the ministry on foreign policy and charge followers for guidance on working with Indian diplomacy. The advisory stated that the individuals have no link to the government, following reports that some leveraged photographs taken at public events with the external affairs minister or senior officials to solicit payments. Officials at the ministry likened the trend to the cyber scam centres in Southeast Asia that exploit official imagery to defraud citizens, signalling heightened vigilance over the misuse of social media for reputational and financial fraud.

These digital enforcement actions unfold as the government faces sustained domestic pressure over institutional accountability. For sixteen days, protesters affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party have camped at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of the education minister over alleged examination paper leaks, with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk entering an eighth day of hunger strike during which he has lost roughly six kilograms. While the agitation does not directly target technology policy, it amplifies a climate of public demand for swifter regulatory responses, leaving the government under dual pressure to demonstrate effective oversight both online and in the education sector.