Mumbai, June 25: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has refused to interfere with Meta’s decision to permanently suspend an Instagram account of a content creator accused of sending nude content to a minor, observing that online child sexual exploitation has become one of the most serious and rapidly growing forms of cyber-enabled crime.
HC Backs Meta’s Decision
A Bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode, in an order dated June 19 that was made available on Thursday, underscored the responsibility of social media platforms to prevent their services from being misused for child exploitation.
“Online child sexual exploitation is increasing day by day. Online child sexual exploitation has emerged as one of the most serious forms of cyber-enabled crime, causing irreversible physical, psychological and emotional harm to children,” the court observed.
The petitioner had challenged Meta’s decision to permanently disable his Instagram account for repeated violations of its Community Standards relating to Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Nudity. Before approaching the High Court, he had unsuccessfully sought relief from the Grievance Appellate Committee.
His advocate argued that the petitioner had not been given an opportunity to rectify his mistake and that the extreme step of permanently suspending his account was disproportionate.
Zero Tolerance Policy Upheld
However, the High Court found no fault with Meta’s action. Referring to the material on record, the Bench noted that there was no dispute that the recipient of the content allegedly sent by the petitioner was a minor, bringing the conduct within the ambit of child sexual exploitation.
“As per Meta policy, it is permissible to suspend a person’s Instagram account if the violation was severe and even if it happened only once,” the court noted.
The judges also endorsed Meta’s strict enforcement framework, observing that the company treats child exploitation, abuse and endangerment as among the gravest violations of its Community Standards and therefore follows a zero-tolerance approach.
“Meta’s zero-tolerance policy cannot be faulted as being arbitrary or disproportionate. Rather, it constitutes a necessary and proportionate response to one of the most heinous forms of online abuse, reflecting the paramount importance of protecting children in the digital environment,” the Bench said.
Also Watch:
Petition Dismissed
The court further noted that Meta is entitled to remove offending content, permanently disable accounts involved in such activities and, where legally required, report the matter to law enforcement authorities. Finding no illegality in Meta’s action, the High Court dismissed the petition.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
