It is known that Meta applied a political content filter on Instagram and Threads months ago, but for those who opt-in, this feature is broken, with users calling the company out. Later on, Meta confirmed that the company discovered an 'error' in the feature, limiting the political content users see on the platforms despite choosing to see more of it.
Amidst the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Elections, Meta took it upon themselves to limit political content on their platforms, where their feed would focus more on another algorithm.
Meta's Political Content Filter on Instagram, Threads is Broken
Several users on Threads have spoken up about Meta's political content filtering efforts on Instagram and Threads, claiming that this feature is broken. It is not broken in a way that shows political content on the platform, but for those who opted in, a.k.a., choosing the 'Don't limit' option, they claimed that Meta resets the setting on this filter.
(Photo : STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The user claimed that despite opting in, there are no notifications regarding political updates or posts on the platform, and other users corroborated that this feature was also reset on their account.
Users tagged Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, asking why their preferences and settings were reset.
Read Also: Meta AI Chatbot Filtering Election-Related Queries Amid General Elections in India
No Fix Yet on Meta's 'Error' on Political Content
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone on Threads recently addressed this issue and said this was an "error" on the company's end, claiming that the company is already working on a fix. For now, users have to wait for Meta's next update regarding the feature that would recommend or show more political content on their feeds and get them up to date on the latest happenings for the nearing elections.
Meta's Efforts for the 2024 US Elections
Earlier this March, Meta decided to limit the political content on Instagram and Threads, its two sibling platforms. The company said this was the default experience on users' feeds. Users initially discovered this when browsing their feeds, especially for those whose algorithms are trained on this, and Meta later confirmed that it would not recommend such content but would allow those who opt in.
The social media and tech company has also looked into its massive content restriction that focuses on a crackdown against disinformation and fake news on the platform amidst the upcoming US elections. Moreover, Meta is also focusing its efforts on limiting AI-generated content, particularly to those with no labels, with deepfakes a target of this effort.
Massive propaganda and fake content are now circulating online. Meta took it upon themselves to limit political content for the general public but allowed those who wanted to see it to enable it on their feeds. The company confirmed there was an error in this feature, but Meta has not yet provided any fixes to address this new problem.
Related Article: Meta Says Its Bid to Counter AI-Generated Disinformation Campaigns Is Working - For Now
