Videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are being pushed by the Meta algorithm, and advertisements of child pornography are rampant on social media platforms, a BBC investigation has found. Most advertisements contained links to Telegram that reportedly contained sexually explicit content involving children.
During the course of the investigation, BBC’s Divya Arya found that such content is actively promoted by Instagram, with no effective checks in place. Even though Meta’s ad policy explicitly bans nudity, such advertisements are still available on Facebook and Instagram.
Brian Boland, a former vice president at Facebook turned whistleblower, told the BBC that he was both “horrified and unsurprised” to learn that Meta was pushing CSAM and adult pornographic materials through advertisements. He said, “Because they (Meta) are not responsibly guiding and controlling it (the algorithm) and it is just pursuing the goals of revenue and clicks, it will create these outcomes if people are not being truly aggressively protective over these systems.”
According to Brian, the algorithm that pushes advertisements to users is an “absolutely careless machine”. He added that there has been an increased reliance on technical solutions when it comes to putting in place checks and balances. For instance, advertisements are approved through a fully automated review process.
Decisions about the level of control and/or monitoring to be exercised over advertisement reviews are unlikely to be taken without the knowledge of top officials, Boland said. “It is hard to say exactly who is responsible. But you don't get major decisions made without the most senior people – Adam Mosseri at Instagram or Mark Zuckerberg at Meta – knowing about it,” he alleged. “The company has dramatically underinvested in keeping people safe,” he further said.
The BBC also spoke to cybercrime officials in India and attempted to get responses from top officials at Meta.
Watch the comprehensive investigation here: