Tech Transparency Project investigation finds more than 300 paid ads containing child sexual abuse material on Meta platforms

A Tech Transparency Project investigation found that Meta ran 332 paid ads containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Facebook and Instagram this year, most using AI to alter photos of children into sexual acts, including real photos of children, such as a minor member of a European royal family and a 14-year-old influencer. Most of these ads pointed to AI image or video generation apps developed in China; TTP verified that 182 of them pointed to App Store apps that can nudify people. Some ads were placed by Meta's authorized advertising resellers in China, GIMC, Meetsocial, and BlueFocus; GIMC is a Chinese state-controlled enterprise. After TTP notified Meta, Meta removed about 150 ads still visible in the Ad Library within hours and corrected 113 penalty records previously not flagged for child-related violations, but continued to run dozens of ads containing CSAM in the following days.