Instagram will use machine learning to demote 'inappropriate' posts

In the wake of the criticism Facebook has faced in its handling of hate speech, the social media giant is now tweaking features on Instagram to control inappropriate or abusive content.

The Facebook-owned social networking platform is reworking its algorithms to limit the exposure of posts it considers inappropriate. Instagram stated, “We have begun reducing the spread of posts that are inappropriate but do not go against Instagram’s Community Guidelines.”

While Instagram hasn’t provided a proper definition of a post it deems inappropriate, TechCrunch claims that posts with violent, graphic/shocking, sexually suggestive, misinformation and spam content could fall under this category. This could affect sexually suggestive content as well, which don’t actually depict nudity but imply. Content that is considered in bad taste, lewd, violent or hurtful could also see a sharp decline in views.

Instagram content moderators are already undergoing training to begin flagging borderline content with AI as the driving factor behind determining which posts should be recommended.  Instagram’s Product Lead for Discovery Will Ruben said: “We’ve started to use machine learning to determine if the actual media posted is eligible to be recommended to our community.”