Aug 14 (Reuters) — Meta Platforms' Instagram did not adequately address abusive comments targeting female politicians who may run in the 2024 U.S. elections, according to a report released Wednesday by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The report examined more than half a million comments on Instagram posts from ten women politicians, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
CCDH identified over 20,000 comments as "toxic," including 1,000 that contained sexist and racist abuse, along with death and rape threats. Despite this, Instagram allowed 93% of these harmful comments to remain on the platform, even after they violated the platform’s standards. Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the report. The CCDH’s analysis of the 2020 U.S. election also revealed that women of color were more frequently targeted with sexist and racist abuse.
The increase in online abuse targeting women politicians has faced significant criticism from advocacy groups. The situation also highlights how social media algorithms, which prioritize emotional content and engagement, can unintentionally amplify such abuse. Politicians often exploit these algorithms to enhance their engagement rates, further exacerbating the issue. This situation underscores the broader impact of social media platforms and their algorithms in spreading online abuse, a problem that affects millions of users globally beyond just the political realm.
The report urged social media platforms to enforce their safety guidelines more effectively and take decisive action against targeted online abuse.
.webp)
0 Comments