Instagram to Remove ‘Recent’ Tab From Hashtag Pages to Reduce Misinformation
Oct. 31, 2020Instagramhas announced new steps to cut down on misinformation campaigns on its platform ahead of the US Presidential elections next week. As part of the plan, the company says it willtemporarily remove the ‘Recent’ tab from hashtag pages.
Do note that the change would only be applicable for people in the US, so users in the rest of the world will continue to see the Recent tab when searching for a hashtag. Folks in the US, though, will likely only see the ‘top’ posts for any particular hashtag with no option to browse for recent posts, thereby eliminating potential exposure to targeted disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories.
The new policy is part ofFacebook‘s increasing efforts to keep misinformation campaigns on the check on all its platforms. The company has often come under fire from advocacy groups and fact-checkers for allegedly being slow to remove conspiracy theories and viral fake news from its various messaging and social media platforms, including Instagram andWhatsApp.
As part of its plans to be more proactive in removing false information from its services, the company also announced that it will ban ads that wrongly claim victory in the upcoming elections.
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