Washington, August 20: U.S. Senator Mark Warner has raised serious concerns with Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding paid advertisements that allegedly featured child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Warner referenced a previous investigation that uncovered similar ads running on Instagram in India.
In a letter dated August 18, the Democratic senator from Virginia demanded answers about the paid advertisements that reportedly included CSAM and non-consensual intimate images (NCIIs). He questioned whether Meta profited from these ads.
Warner stated that it is completely unacceptable for such content to appear on Meta’s platforms, and even more troubling that the company seems to profit from it.
He inquired how these ads passed through Meta’s review system, how much revenue the company generated from them, and what measures were taken to identify and remove such content. Warner set a deadline for a response by August 26.
The senator cited a research report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), which indicated that Meta had run dozens of paid ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads over a nine-month period.
Researchers found over 50 ads related to child exploitation in Meta’s public ad library. These ads reportedly ran from November 2025 to early August 2026.
The advertisements reached users in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Europe. At least one ad reached over 2,500 social media accounts in Europe.
Some ads directed users to apps or websites that could artificially create nude images of individuals. Others used children’s images as thumbnails leading to adult content, while some superimposed children’s faces onto adult bodies.
Warner expressed disbelief that Meta could unknowingly host such blatantly illegal content while claiming to review and approve all advertisements.
He noted that all identified CSAM and NCIIs were paid ads, which Meta’s own systems had reviewed and approved under its advertising policies.
According to Warner, researchers continued to find new ads even after Meta was informed, following a BBC investigation in July 2026 that revealed similar ads on Instagram in India.
The senator also referenced Meta’s advertising policy, which clearly states that ads should not contain nudity, sexual activity, or sexually suggestive content.
Warner requested information on when each ad was identified, when it was removed, and when it was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). He also asked about any delays between identification and reporting.
The letter sought clarification on whether Meta had disseminated, promoted, or advertised any form of child sexual exploitation material, including computer-generated content. Additionally, he requested information about ads removed due to violations related to child exploitation, abuse, or “nudifying” services from 11 Chinese resellers.
Warner demanded details on the broadcast dates of these ads, targeting methods, total impressions, views in the U.S., and the payments Meta received. He also inquired whether the company retained revenue from these ads.
Furthermore, he requested data on paid ads shown to U.S. users aged 13 to 18 during 2025 and 2026 that were later flagged for nudity or exploitative content.
Notably, Warner introduced the Safe AI Act in July, aiming to ban AI systems capable of generating child sexual exploitation material or non-consensual intimate images. The proposed legislation also includes provisions to ban software that circumvents AI safety controls.
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