Instagram Glitch Floods Feeds with Violent Content, Meta Apologizes and Fixes Issue

Instagram users have recently noticed an increase in explicit and violent content in their Reels feeds, which includes awful injuries, violent attacks, and even pictures of dismemberment.  This was especially concerning because many users had their "Sensitive Content Control" set to the most restrictive level.  Regardless, disturbing content continued to appear.  

Meta acknowledged and addressed the issue, with a representative saying, "We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended."  We regret for the error.  However, this company did not say what caused the glitch.  

Meta's regulations usually restrict excessive violence and gore, although there are exceptions for content designed to raise awareness of human rights violations and worldwide conflicts, which are frequently accompanied by warning alerts.  In this situation, however, Meta's filtering methods failed, displaying graphic content to people who had never engaged with such material.  Some users tried manually adjusting their settings or labeling content as "Not Interested," yet the incorrect recommendations continued.  

The broad exposure to violent content provoked a response on social media, with people reporting being inundated with alarming videos.  This incident corresponds with Meta's recent plan to replace its third-party fact-checking system with a Community Notes feature, raising worries about the efficiency of its future content moderation rules.

This article is based on information from The Tech Portal