Misinformation

Instagram generally does not distinguish misinformation from deliberate deception because, as Mosseri explained in July 2021, determining someone’s intent is difficult2. Mosseri described safety and preventing harm as the reasons for intervening, rather than simply disagreeing with what someone says2. Meta’s AI blog described in November 2019 how Instagram’s Explore system filtered misinformation out of its pool of possible recommendations before ordering the remaining posts7. Instagram’s misinformation controls can affect what existing followers see, not just what unfamiliar audiences discover8. Meta’s Transparency Center explained in December 2022 that reducing visibility during heightened risk can help contain potentially misleading content, while a finding that the content violates policy still leads to removal5.

Instagram’s June 2021 explainer described applying a fact-check label to a misinformation post without taking the post down3. Instagram’s March 2021 announcement described a different purpose for informational labels: COVID-19 and vaccine claims that health experts had not debunked would receive labels directing readers to credible information from organizations including the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention9. That announcement also introduced feed notifications directing people to Instagram’s COVID-19 Information Center and a planned Stories sticker connecting people to the same resource9.

Instagram warned in June 2021 that repeatedly posting misinformation could make all of an account’s content harder to find, extending the effect beyond individual labeled posts3. Its October 2021 announcement added that accounts repeatedly sharing misinformation would not have access to the Link sticker used to share links in Stories6. Creators can check their account status and appeal enforcement decisions they believe are mistakes36.