Meta apologises after disturbing and violent videos flood Instagram feeds of users

Meta on Wednesday apologised for an "error" that caused Instagram’s recommendation algorithm to display disturbing and violent videos in the Reels feeds of a wide range of users, including minors.

Some of these videos featured fatal shootings and horrific accidents.

Meta error: What did the videos feature?

The disturbing content was shown to users without their consent. It included graphic images of people being shot, run over by cars, and severely injured.


Some videos had "sensitive content" warnings, while others were shown without any restrictions.

Some of these posts gained much higher visibility because Instagram's algorithm made them more prominent. The view counts on certain videos were millions higher than other posts from the same accounts. As per the New York Post, many of these accounts were not being followed by viewers.

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Instagram apologises

"We have fixed the mistake that caused some users to see inappropriate content in their Reels feed," an Instagram spokesman said late on Wednesday. "We apologise for the error."

Even after Meta claimed the issue had been resolved, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal continued to see videos of shootings and fatal accidents late on Wednesday. The company did not comment on the scale of the error that led to violent videos featuring on Instagram feeds.

Meta's content moderation policies

In a statement on January 7, Meta announced it would change how it enforces certain content rules, explaining that previous moderation practices had led to unnecessary censorship.

As part of this change, the company said it would adjust its automated systems to focus only on "illegal and high-severity violations, like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud, and scams," instead of scanning for all policy breaches.

For less serious violations, Meta said it would rely on users to report problematic content before taking action.

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The company also acknowledged that its systems had been too harsh in removing posts that "might" violate its standards and said it was working to reverse most of those removals.

FAQs:

What is Meta's policy on violent or graphic content?
The company aims to protect users from disturbing imagery by removing content that is especially violent or graphic.

What is Meta?
Meta is the parent company of several popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Originally known as Facebook Inc., the company rebranded as Meta in 2021 to reflect its focus on building the "metaverse."