Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has issued an apology after users reported a flood of violent and sexual content appearing in their Instagram Reels feed. Some of horrific content suggested by the company’s algorithm should never have been allowed on the platform, let alone recommended to unsuspecting users.
CNBC reports that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has acknowledged and fixed an “error” that caused a wave of disturbing content to appear on users’ Instagram Reels feed. The issue came to light when numerous Instagram users took to social media to express their concerns about the sudden influx of violent, sexual, and inappropriate content being recommended to them.
In a statement shared with CNBC, a Meta spokesperson said, “We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended. We apologize for the mistake.” The company emphasized that it works to protect users from disturbing imagery and removes content that is particularly violent or graphic, as per its policy.
Despite Instagram’s “Sensitive Content Control” feature being set to its highest moderation setting, some users claimed they were still exposed to the offensive content. Meta’s policy prohibits content such as videos depicting dismemberment, visible innards, charred bodies, and sadistic remarks towards imagery depicting the suffering of humans and animals. However, the company does allow some graphic content if it helps users condemn and raise awareness about important issues like human rights abuses, armed conflicts, or acts of terrorism, albeit with limitations such as warning labels.
CNBC was able to view several posts on Instagram Reels that appeared to show dead bodies, graphic injuries, and violent assaults, all labeled as “Sensitive Content.” Meta claims to use internal technology and a team of over 15,000 reviewers to detect and remove disturbing imagery, with artificial intelligence and machine learning tools prioritizing posts and removing the majority of violating content before users even report it.
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
