It seems all social media platforms are having difficulty controlling the output of fake news. The three main targets are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, however, Instagram is not far behind in its projection of false posts.
This week Instagram has expressed that while they have been working on reducing the reach of false posts and misinformation via their app, they are taking it one step further – Instagram will soon be running potential false posts past their partners Facebook fact-checking procedures.
Posts that are identified as false will not necessarily be removed from accounts but they will, however, not appear on the Explore page or in a hashtag search.
According to the reports, Instagram has been working with Facebook’s fact-checking teams since the US mid-term elections as many posts were considered misleading. This has meant that when an image with misinformation is identified on Facebook, an image algorithm then can search for the exact same image on Instagram.
The new measures will now ensure that fact checkers will now find images on Instagram that are not firstly found on Facebook.
According to Poynter, Instagram is also considering applying a pop-up alert for users who are searching for fake news.
By Liv West