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Meta was given until 12pm on Tuesday to shut down all the accounts and channels linked to the distribution of sexual content.
WhatsApp Channles. Picture: WhatsApp
Anonymous Instagram accounts and WhatsApp Channels distributing explicit child pornography involving South African school children have been shut down
This is according to Meta, which was given until 12pm on Tuesday to shut down all the accounts and channels linked to the distribution of sexual content involving school children and to “permanently disable the creator of the WhatsApp channels and Instagram profiles listed” from creating any further WhatsApp channels and Instagram profiles.
Judgment
Gauteng High Court Judge Mudunwazi Makamu handed down the judgment in an order sought by Digital Law Company, directed by social media law expert Emma Sadlier, in Johannesburg on Monday.
In the urgent ruling, Makamu agreed with the arguments by advocate Ben Winks that children have been victimised by the publication of lurid and sexually explosive material that was published on Instagram accounts and WhatsApp channels.
Sadlier welcomed the ruling.
Meta responds
In response to The Citizen, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company has taken action as ordered.
“We have zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation and are committed to ensuring the safety of all users on our platforms.
“We can confirm that the accounts we have been able to identify have been shut down, and we have submitted reports to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in line with applicable laws. We will continue to engage with law enforcement and respond to valid legal requests,” the Meta spokesperson said.
Explicit content
According to Sadlier, the content on the channels included several explicit images and videos, including that of a Grade 11 pupil from a school south of Johannesburg having sex with a girl in a room, while another video shows a Grade 12 boy having sex with a Grade 9 girl in a school bathroom, apparently filmed by another pupil.
“From time to time, it appears that Meta administrators will delete or block some of the pages and channels (presumably in response to user complaints). However, not long after, the same page or channel will be active again, or another channel will crop up replicating the previous channel – and the distribution of illegal content continues unabated,” Sadlier said.
Sadlier warned parents to check their children’s phones.
“I just want to alert parents to one of the biggest issues, and that is that these kids are all joining WhatsApp channels… The kind of content being circulated on these channels is horrific, child sexual abuse images, child pornography”.
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