After a week of urgent litigation, the Johannesburg high court has ordered Meta, owner of Instagram, and WhatsApp LLC, to hand over — “to the extent available” — the names, addresses, phone numbers and IP addresses of the people behind the profiles and WhatsApp channels posting graphic child sexual abuse images.  

The court also ordered Meta and WhatsApp to remove 12 WhatsApp channels and 58 Instagram accounts, insofar as it was technically feasible, and for two years, whenever similar content is reported to them, they must take action within 48 hours.  

Judge Mudunwazi Makamu agreed to the orders sought by the Digital Law Company, which is directed by social media law expert Emma Sadleir, after advocate Ben Winks argued that dozens of children had been victimised by the publication of this material.

They had “no recourse” unless the person behind the publication of this private material was identified, he said.