'I Lost Everything': California Photographer Blames AI Bias for Instagram Ban | KQED

Sep 12Failed to save articlePlease try againTaken for Rolling Stone magazine. ‘Homegirls’ or ‘cholas’ associated with the Venice 13 (also V13), a Mexican American street gang. (Courtesy of Merrick Morton) That time, he was notified via email that his account would no longer be active, and with that, he lost more than 60,000 followers that he had cultivated for over five years. “All of a sudden, one day, I lost everything,” Morton said. His archive had more than 500 historic photographs, mostly in black and white, that captured images of cholo and African American street culture in Los Angeles. ‘Wolfe’ from El Hoyo Maravilla, a Mexican American street gang, in East Los Angeles, 1980. (Courtesy of Merrick Morton) Among the notices Morton received from Instagram, one stated that his photos violated its community guidelines on violence or dangerous organizations. Those guidelines state that Instagram is “… not a place to support or praise, terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups.” KQED reached out to Meta’s press office multiple times through email to request comment. Meta did not respond in time for publication. Morton bristles at the idea that his photography belongs in the same category as terrorist organizations and hate groups like
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