Hate speech

Instagram’s hate-speech rules also prohibit attacks based on ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or disease6. Mosseri explained that these protections cover attacks on whole groups as well as individuals, and that using a slur can cross the boundary7. He also distinguished removing a post from suspending an account: one removal does not automatically cause suspension, but accumulated violations, particularly serious ones, can lead to it8.

For suspected hate speech found outside private messages, Meta’s Newsroom says its technology can send content to human reviewers or delete it automatically when sufficiently confident that it violates the rules2. For January through March 2021, Meta’s Newsroom reported taking action on 6.3 million pieces of hate speech on Instagram, with 93% found before anyone reported them; these figures distinguish the amount acted on from the share detected before reports1. For detecting hate speech in recordings, a Meta patent describes a possible system that analyzes audio using speech recognition, but the patent does not establish that Instagram uses that system9.

Instagram’s controls against hateful interactions include comment filtering that lets people choose particular keywords to block, as Mosseri explained3. Hidden Words filters abusive direct-message requests, extending protection beyond public comments34. Limits lets people restrict comments and direct-message requests during spikes of attention4. Stronger warnings also intervene when someone tries to post a potentially offensive comment, before it is published4.

Instagram distinguishes removing hate speech under its Community Guidelines from deciding what it can suggest to people in Explore and Reels under its Recommendations Guidelines512. Its announced Link sticker policy also excludes accounts that repeatedly share hate speech or other rule-breaking content, as well as new accounts13. Instagram directs people who believe a restriction is mistaken to its information about account status and appeals13.