Facebook has made changes to the Instagram algorithm following complaints from a group of its employees that pro-Palestinian content was not visible to users during the conflict in Gaza. Instagram typically displays original content in its stories before resharing content, but it will now begin to rank original content and reshared content equally, the company confirmed.
As reported by the Financial Times, the group of Instagram employees made several appeals regarding content that was blocked through automated moderation, such as posts about Al-Aqsa Mosque that were mistakenly removed. The employees did not believe the censorship was intentional; however, one noted that broad moderation was biased against marginalized groups.
A Facebook spokesperson indicated that the change comes in response to concerns regarding pro-Palestinian content. The company recognized that the way the Instagram algorithm was working led people to believe it was suppressing certain viewpoints or topics. They added that this applies to any posts being reshared in stories, regardless of the subject matter.
#### Accusations of Bias
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have faced criticism in recent weeks regarding content about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Earlier this month, Twitter restricted the account of a Palestinian writer, later stating it was a mistake. Instagram apologized after several accounts were unable to post content related to Palestine for several hours on May 6, a situation that Instagram head Adam Mosseri attributed to a technical error in the Instagram algorithm.
Instagram stated that people are more interested in original stories from close friends than in seeing others resharing photos and posts. This is why original stories are prioritized. The spokesperson mentioned that there has been an increase in the number of people resharing posts, and they observed a greater impact than expected on the reach of these posts. Stories that reshared feed posts do not achieve the reach that people expect, which does not provide a good experience. Instagram believes that users want to see original stories and is looking into how to adjust the Instagram algorithm to focus stories on original content.
