Instagram Fumbles in Its Moderation of Abortion Content – CNET

What’s happening Instagram inadvertently labeled some posts about abortion rights as sensitive content, frustrating users of the popular photo-and-video sharing service. The company blamed the problem on a bug that it said has now been fixed. Why it matters Meta-owned Instagram’s content moderation decisions around the topic of abortion have raised questions about whether the service is properly enforcing its rules. Becca Rea-Tucker shared a photo of a pink cake she had baked bearing the message “pro-abortion” in white icing with her 252,000 Instagram followers. As Instagram users started to repost the cake photo, the Texas author and baker learned on Tuesday that Instagram had labeled the photo as “sensitive” for possibly containing “graphic or violent content.” Others told Rea-Tucker Instagram had hidden the photo behind a warning and asked them to verify their age.”I do think that Instagram’s algorithm suppresses accounts like mine that are vocally pro-abortion,” she said. “It’s really disappointing, but definitely not surprising.”Becca Rea-Tucker posted an Instagram story about how the company moderated a photo of a cake with a “pro-abortion” message. Screenshot by Queenie Wong/CNET Rea-Tucker isn’t the only Instagram user who thinks the social network, owned by Facebook parent company Meta, is restricting abortion rights…
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