Successful Week for Emma Sadleir
In a landmark ruling, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, has been compelled by a South African court to take decisive action against child pornography on its platforms. This significant legal victory was secured by Emma Sadleir, founder of The Digital Law Company, and her team of lawyers.
The case, which has been ongoing for some time, involved allegations of child pornography on Meta's platforms. The court agreement obliges Meta to respond to reports of child pornography within 48 hours, a condition that some consider insufficient to address such incidents effectively. One legal mind described the 48-hour response time as "not fast enough."
Meta's lack of action in addressing child pornography on its platforms was a point of contention. The company had previously done little to curb the proliferation of such content, with new accounts distributing abusive material appearing regularly. Sadleir described these accounts as part of an organized and persistent campaign, with new channels appearing every few minutes, often tagging victims by name, school, and social handles. She warned that Meta's delays exacerbate the trauma, citing suicide attempts by affected children.
Meta initially resisted compliance, arguing that the litigation targeted the wrong entity. However, after a contempt of court application was filed, and with the threat of imprisonment looming for Meta’s Southern Africa representative, Thabiso Makenete, the tech giant finally settled. Meta agreed to shut down over 60 accounts on Instagram and WhatsApp that were sharing child pornography and illicit content involving South African schoolchildren.
In addition to this, Meta agreed to hand over subscriber data related to these accounts — including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses at account creation and last login — within three business days. It also ensured that the details wouldn't be publicly disclosed.
This agreement follows Meta missing initial court deadlines to provide the perpetrators' details and the continued proliferation of new accounts distributing abusive material. The case is unprecedented in South Africa, marking possibly the first time a global tech giant has formally agreed to such legal terms locally to combat child exploitation on its platforms.
Meta has thus taken concrete action to remove offending content and disclose information to aid in identifying perpetrators. However, ongoing vigilance is required as new accounts continue to appear. The Digital Law Company's efforts have set a powerful precedent, demonstrating that tech giants can be held accountable for the content on their platforms.
[1] News24, "Meta Platforms forced to act against child pornography on its platforms," July 18, 2025. [2] TechCentral, "Meta Platforms faces contempt of court application over child pornography," July 15, 2025. [3] IOL, "Meta Platforms agrees to hand over data in child pornography case," July 19, 2025. [4] TimesLIVE, "Meta Platforms ordered to shut down child pornography accounts," July 18, 2025.
- This legal battle, primarily categorized under general-news and crime-and-justice, highlights Meta Platforms' obligation to act against child pornography on its platforms.
- In the realm of technology, the court ruling has set a significant precedent, demonstrating that companies like Meta can be held accountable for the content on their platforms, particularly when it comes to tackling child exploitation.
