Meta scrambles to fix Instagram algorithm connecting 'vast paedophile network'

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsMeta has launched an investigation into reports that Instagram is promoting child sexual abuse material through its algorithm.Facebook’s parent company set up a taskforce to investigate the claims after the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) said it found “large-scale communities” sharing paedophilia content on the platform. The SIO said it discovered the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) following a tip from the Wall Street Journal, whose report on Wednesday detailed how Instagram’s recommendation algorithm helped connect a “vast pedophile network” of sellers and buyers of illegal material.Instagram’s ‘suggested for you’ feature also linked users to off-platform content sites, according to the report, with the SIO describing the site as “currently the most important platform” for these networks.“Instagram has emerged as the primary platform for such networks, providing features that facilitate connections between buyers and sellers,” Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center wrote in a blog post.“Instagram’s popularity and user-friendly interface make it a preferred option for these activities.”Instagram users were able to find child abuse content through explicit hashtags like #pedowhore, which have since been blocked by Instagram.“Child
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