Home Technology Instagram to start warning people before they post offensive captions

Instagram to start warning people before they post offensive captions

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Most people should be aware when they’re about to offend someone through their social media posts. History has taught us that people tend to not have the power of foresight to figure these things out, unfortunately, which is why Instagram has just announced a new feature that will warn users when they’re about to post a potentially offensive caption for a photo or video to their main feed.  

The purpose of the new feature is to address the plight of bullying that has become prevalent on the platform to make the environment less toxic for users. The new feature builds upon a similar AI-powered tool that Instagram introduced for comments back in July and will compare the post from a user against other similarly marked posts that have been deemed offensive. The company doesn’t go into detail how it will deal with people that continue to ignore these measures, though they will probably become more aggressive in banning users given their toughened stance on bullying on the platform.

The feature still requires users to report offensive posts in order for it to work. It’s unlikely to stop determined bullies who will continue to find ways past the different mechanism that Instagram is implementing but hopefully will at least deal with those who don’t always think before they post (most probably kids) and allow them to be a little more circumspect before they post their offensive material. If you want to avoid bullies on the internet, the best thing to do remains to remove yourself from all social media or perhaps even the internet entirely.

Instagram says the new feature is rolling out in “select countries” for now, but it will expand globally in the coming months.

Last Updated: December 17, 2019

2 Comments

  1. Graham Mountifield

    December 18, 2019 at 00:30

    Offence is taken, not given. ANYTHING is “potentially offensive”. Another pathetic attempt at censorship – courtesy of people who call themselves “liberal”.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      December 18, 2019 at 08:06

      IMO, this seems to be something to prevent dog piling. But yeah, heaven forbid you have a bad opinion these days. Because you’ll automatically be labeled a hater or a harasser.

      Reply

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