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Meta has fixed a glitch that caused violent and graphic videos to appear in Instagram Reels, despite users enabling the platform’s “sensitive content control” setting.
On Thursday, Meta confirmed that the issue, which affected users globally, had been resolved. However, the company did not reveal what caused the malfunction or how many users were impacted.
“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,” a Meta spokesperson stated.
Despite the fact that users had enabled Instagram’s “sensitive content control” setting, which is intended to filter objectionable content, they had reported encountering such content.
Meta’s moderation policies have been the subject of scrutiny following the termination of its U.S. fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads last month. Exceptions are permitted for videos that address human rights atrocities and conflicts, despite the company’s prohibition of violent content.
Following its decision to discontinue fact-checking in the United States, Meta has been increasingly reliant on automated moderation tools, a trend that is anticipated to intensify. The company has been the subject of criticism for its content moderation practices in the past, such as the dissemination of violent content during the Myanmar genocide, the propagation of harmful content to teenagers, and the dissemination of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To manage content, Meta employs a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning tools, and a team of over 15,000 evaluators to identify and remove disturbing imagery. According to Meta, the technology, which encompasses artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, assists in the prioritization of posts and the removal of “the vast majority of violating content” anterior to users reporting it.
Additionally, Meta endeavors to prevent the recommendation of content on its platforms that may be “low-quality, objectionable, sensitive, or inappropriate for younger viewers.”
