Instagram is beginning a test this week that will combat the spread of misinformation and false posts on its platform.
The test is possible through an expansion of Facebook’s fact-checking partnerships. These partners, such as Factcheck.org, are now tackling posts on Instagram.
Photos and memes that could potentially be false will be sent to the same specialists who are responsible for fact-checking posts on Facebook, according to Poynter.
Once the post has been identified as false, the spread of the Instagram post will be limited. The posts will not be visible on the Explore page or under the hashtags.
However, the flagged posts will still be visible if you follow the account that posted the image. The point of the test is to limit the spread of the photos, rather than fully censoring the post.
“Our approach to misinformation is the same as Facebook’s — when we find misinfo, rather than remove it, we’ll reduce its distribution,” a spokesperson for Instagram told Poynter.
The app is also testing additional educational features that will help stop the spread of misinformation. One feature in particular is a pop-up that will appear when a user searches for anti-vaccine misinformation.
Since Instagram is a platform that is quite different from Facebook, it is still unclear how effective this process will be on Instagram.
After Facebook and Youtube, Instagram is now the third tech platform to combat misinformation by partnering with fact-checking sites.
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