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Instagram is facing criticism for its inadequate response to hate speech directed at prominent female politicians as the 2024 elections approach, according to a report released by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
The nonprofit advocacy group’s report highlights Instagram’s failure to remove offensive comments aimed at Vice President Kamala Harris and other leading women politicians. The analysis, which covered comments from January 1 to June 7, focused on posts from ten high-profile politicians—five Republicans and five Democrats—with significant engagement on their Instagram posts.
Politicians included in the study were Harris, who is the Democratic nominee for president, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), along with Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).
CCDH researchers identified over 20,000 comments as “toxic” using Google’s Perspective AI content moderation tool. After manual review, they flagged 1,000 comments as clearly violating Instagram’s terms of service. Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, revealed during a media briefing that 93% of these flagged comments remained unaddressed by Instagram.
“Our recommendations are straightforward: Instagram must enforce its policies to protect women in public life,” Ahmed said. He emphasized the need for better support and guidance for women candidates facing abuse.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has previously faced scrutiny from lawmakers for its handling of hate speech and harmful content across its platforms. The company has been accused in an ongoing lawsuit by the attorney general of New Mexico of failing to protect underage users from exploitation.
CCDH’s report includes disturbing examples of hate speech, such as comments advocating violence and racism, including one that mocked Harris’s racial background and another calling for her sexual assault.
In response, Meta stated that it would review the flagged comments and take action if they violate the platform’s policies. However, the company also noted that some offensive content may not breach its guidelines. Cindy Southworth, Meta’s head of women’s safety, highlighted Instagram’s tools for filtering and controlling comments but acknowledged the need for continuous improvement.
The report arrives amid ongoing controversies surrounding online hate speech and moderation, including a recent legal defeat for Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, over similar issues. Ahmed criticized Meta for seeming to avoid scrutiny while X has drawn significant attention for its handling of toxic content.
“Mark Zuckerberg has maintained a lower profile as X has become the focus of criticism,” Ahmed said. “We aimed to assess whether Instagram is living up to its promises of combating toxicity, especially given the negative spotlight on X.”
The CCDH’s findings underscore ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of social media platforms in managing hate speech and ensuring the safety of public figures, especially women in politics.
