Instagram blames anti-spam tech for stopping some Black Lives Matter posts
Some users have also complained on Twitter
Instagram is blaming its anti-spam technology for blocking some posts labeled with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
Some users have also complained on Twitter about Instagram blocking user actions for an extended period of time, advertisements related to race and comments or posts that do not include the #BLM hashtag but discuss the protests or race in general.
"This action was blocked," the notification from the Facebook-owned platform reads, as tech magazine Engadget first reported. "Please try again later. We restrict certain content and actions to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake."
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Instagram's communications account on Twitter shared a statement to the website in response to feedback on Monday.
"We're aware that some people are incorrectly running into 'action blocked' messages when using the hashtag #blacklivesmatter or resharing related posts," the social media website wrote in the tweet. "We have technology that detects rapidly increasing activity on Instagram to help combat spam."
Instagram's main Twitter account shared another statement Monday saying Facebook is donating $10 million "to efforts committed to ending racial injustice" and encouraging people to use the hashtag #ShareBlackStories.
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Some users have suggested that if users go to their phone settings, locate the Instagram app, go to "storage," click "clear cache and clear data," and try to post again, the issue will be resolved.
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#ShareBlackStories," the post read. "We hear you, we see you and we are with you."We stand against racism. We stand with our Black community — and all those working toward justice in honor of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many others whose names will not be forgotten."
The post added that "the Instagram community has the power to bring meaningful change. The more we #ShareBlackStories, the more we raise voices that make an impact. To continue that impact, [Facebook] is pledging $10M to efforts committed to ending racial injustice."
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Users on Tuesday are participating in a "blackout" by sharing blank, black posts to their pages instead of regular content in an effort to show solidarity with the black community after Minneapolis resident George Floyd died in police custody on May 25. The officer who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck while he was handcuffed has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder.
The spam technology issue comes as social media websites like Facebook and Twitter face criticism from both left and right-wing users regarding unfair censorship.
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Twitter added a warning label and a fact-check label to two of President Trump's tweets last week for the first time ever, causing the president to speak publicly about the decision.
Trump signed an executive order last week that would remove some protections offered to social media websites under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act if platforms act as publishers rather than neutral platforms by editing content posted by their users. The order would also require the Federal Communications Commission to clarify a phrase in the law that says protections only apply to platforms that act "in good faith."
