Ray of hope as Instagram head says Meta looking into aggressive content moderation

Update 05/12/24 04:44 pm (IST): Meta’s top exec, Nick Clegg, reportedly admitted that the company has been overzealous with content moderation, leading to too much harmless stuff getting taken down and people being unfairly penalized. He acknowledged that their response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a bit over the top, thanks to some pressure from the Biden administration. Now, they’re focused on improving how accurately they enforce their rules.

Clegg mentioned that their moderation systems have been too heavy-handed lately, with lots of users complaining about innocuous content being flagged or removed. Even though they haven’t made any big changes to their content rules yet, Clegg hinted that updates might be coming. The idea is to strike a better balance between keeping things safe and allowing free expression.

Original article published on October 10, 2024, follows:

In a world where an innocent joke about surviving a heatwave can land you in social media purgatory, Meta’s moderation system seems to have gone on an untamed rampage. Instagram and Threads, both helmed by Adam Mosseri, are now facing a fresh wave of backlash from users who are, quite frankly, losing their accounts for reasons that seem absurd at best. But in a sliver of hope, Mosseri has hinted that help might be on the way, saying he’s “looking into it.” Whether that’s enough to quell the mounting frustrations remains to be seen.

Let’s face it, moderation is a constant headache for social media platforms. But lately, things seem to be on hair-trigger mode. Even The Verge staffers haven’t been spared. One poor soul got locked out for a harmless heatwave joke.

It’s not just funny posts getting caught in the crossfire. Jorge Caballero, for example, shared a factual hurricane update that got flagged by the system and slapped with a bogus fact check. This “crackergate” situation, where mentions of crackers and Cracker Jacks vanish faster than you can say “snack time,” is just another example of the system gone haywire.

Social media consultant Matt Navarra felt the sting too. Sharing a story about Tom Brady falling for a Meta AI prank got his Threads account downranked. Thankfully, his public complaint caught Mosseri’s eye, and we can only hope a fix is coming. While this signals a potential change, it’s also a reminder that if you’re not a high-profile figure, getting Meta’s attention may feel impossible.

 

 

Post by @mosseri

View on Threads

 

Still, hope lingers. Mosseri’s acknowledgment of the issue — especially given that he’s responding directly to users — offers a small glimmer of optimism. Meta has been slow to address these concerns, but now that influential voices are crying foul, there may finally be some movement to fix the increasingly aggressive moderation.

However, everyday users still feel like they’re left shouting into the void. Instagram’s subreddit, in particular, is flooded with stories of unfair bans and strange content removals, something even Instagram said they were looking into. One user after another complains about AI moderation misidentifying harmless content as inappropriate or offensive. And it’s not just individuals: whole companies are feeling the sting. My boss, for instance, tells me that our Facebook posts get flagged left and right, even though they’re perfectly innocent.

The moderation madness seems to have reached a boiling point, but with Mosseri on the case, maybe Meta is ready to tweak the system. Until then, stay safe out there in social media land — lest you get taken down by the bots for merely mentioning a cracker.

Featured image: Swello / Unsplash