Instagram is drawing criticism after a recent report revealed that its algorithms are actively pushing networks of paedophiles who commission and sell child sexual abuse content on Meta-owned popular image-sharing app.
In a joint investigation by the Wall Street Journal, Stanford University researchers and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it has been found that Instagram algorithms not only host but also promote a “vast paedophile network” that advertises illegal “child-sex material”.
“Its algorithms promote them. Instagram connects paedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests,” the joint investigation by WSJ and the academic researchers found.
The report claimed to have found that Instagram allowed users to search for explicit hashtags such as #pedowhore and #preteensex, which led them to profiles that featured menus of content pertaining to child-sex material for sale. Such accounts frequently claim to be controlled by the children themselves and have explicitly sexual handles such as “little sl*t for you.”
Furthermore, it was found by the Stanford Internet Observatory that some accounts allowed buyers to “commission specific acts” such as children harming themselves, and performing sexual acts with animals etc. Such accounts also offered to arrange paid “meet-ups”.
In response to the findings of the investigative report, Meta has acknowledged the problem within its enforcement operations and stated that an internal task force has been set to address the issue.
“Child exploitation is a horrific crime. We’re continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behaviour,” Meta said.
Meta stated that in January alone, it removed 490,000 accounts that violated its child safety regulations and that it has removed 27 paedophile networks in the last two years. The company further stated that it has blocked thousands of hashtags connected with child sexualization and removed these terms from search results.
When researchers’ test accounts accessed a single account in the network, they were bombarded with “suggested for you” suggestions of alleged child-sex-content dealers and purchasers, as well as accounts referring to off-platform content trade sites. Following only a few of these recommendations was enough to overwhelm a test account with child-sexualizing content. Upon using child-sex-related hashtags, the researchers found 405 sellers of “self-generated” child sex material. The report further suggested that many such accounts were run by children as young as 12.
Compared to Instagram, the report found that other social media platforms are less tractable to such child abuse networks.
As per the WSJ, the Stanford investigators identified “128 accounts offering to sell child-sex-abuse material on Twitter, less than a third the number they found on Instagram” despite Twitter having significantly fewer users, and that such content “does not appear to proliferate” on TikTok. According to the investigation, Snapchat did not actively promote such networks since it is primarily used for direct messaging.
The report further noted that Instagram permitted users to search several terms that its algorithms were aware to have a connection with illicit material. On such search terms, a warning popped up which read, “These results may contain images of child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse or viewing sexual imagery of children can lead to imprisonment and other severe personal consequences. This abuse causes extreme harm to children and searching and viewing such materials adds to that harm. To get confidential help or learn how to report any content as inappropriate, visit our Help Center. Get resources. See results anyway”. The “See results anyway” option, however, was removed later without any explanation regarding why it was offered at the first place.
the warning and clickthrough option when searching for a pedophilia-related hashtag on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Twitter owner Elon Musk shared the said WSJ report on Twitter and termed it as “Extremely concerning”.
Extremely concerning pic.twitter.com/PLz5jrocvv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 7, 2023
Notably, in January this year, Meta announced that it would offer end-to-end encryption on its platforms. However, the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) comprising 15 law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Interpol had criticised Meta’s decision in April stating that the company’s plans to expand end-to-end encryption on its platforms were “a purposeful design choice that degrades safety systems” adding that increasing end-to-end encryption would blindfold them to child sex abuse.
“The abuse will not stop just because companies decide to stop looking,” the VGT statement said.
Apart from promoting child abuse, Instagram has also been criticised for its other “biases” as OpIndia reported in December last year, that a comment saying that the “genocide of Hindus is not a crime” was not found in violation of Instagram’s Community Guidelines and no action was taken back then.
