Instagram failed to curb hate speech against female politicians: Report
What's the story
Meta's social media platform, Instagram, has been criticized for its failure to remove abusive comments directed at female politicians in the US. This information was revealed in a report by the non-profit organization, Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The study analyzed over 500,000 comments on posts made by 10 women politicians from both Democratic and Republican parties.
Report findings
CCDH highlights Instagram's inaction
The CCDH report identified over 20,000 comments as "toxic," including 1,000 that contained sexist and racist abuse. Shockingly, Instagram failed to remove 93% of these harmful comments that violated its own community standards. The researchers reported these comments between January and June this year, but found that Meta took "no action" against the majority of them.
Company statement
Meta's response to the report
In response to the CCDH report, Meta stated that it provides tools for users to manage comments on their posts. Cindy Southworth, Head of Women's Safety at Meta, said in a statement, "We provide tools so that anyone can control who can comment on their posts, automatically filter out offensive comments, phrases or emojis." She also assured that they would review the CCDH report and take action against any content violating their policies.
Rising concerns
Online abuse against women politicians intensifies
The CCDH report also highlighted that women of color were more likely to be targets of sexist and racist abuse, by analysing the 2020 US election. It found that many abusive comments came from "repeat offenders," leading to a "culture of impunity" on the platform. This issue has been criticized by advocacy groups and underscored the role social media platforms play in propagating online abuse.
Call for action
Report urges stricter enforcement of safety guidelines
The CCDH report urged social media giants to enforce their safety guidelines more effectively and take firm action against targeted online abuse. The report comes less than three months before the US presidential election (on November 5, 2024), and it notes that attacks targeting Kamala Harris, who is now campaigning for president seem to have "intensified" since she took over the ticket.