Facebook launches features to protect people from abuse on Instagram

Facebook has announced new features to help protect people from abuse on Instagram including , and a global rollout of a Hidden Words feature, which allows people to filter abusive DM requests.

The new features include the ability for people to limit comments and DM requests during spikes of increased attention, stronger warnings when people try to post potentially offensive comments, and a global rollout of a Hidden Words feature, which allows people to filter abusive DM requests.

“We have a responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe when they’re on Instagram. We don’t allow hate speech or bullying on Instagram, and we remove it whenever we find it,” said Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram.

“We also want to protect people from having to experience this abuse in the first place, which is why we’re constantly listening to feedback from experts and our community, and developing new features to give people more control over their experience on Instagram, and help protect them from abuse,” he said on August 11.

“We developed this feature because creators and public figures sometimes experience sudden spikes of comments and DM requests from people they don’t know. In many cases this is an outpouring of support — like if they go viral after winning an Olympic medal. But sometimes it can also mean an influx of unwanted comments or messages. Now, you can turn on Limits and avoid it.

“Our research shows that a lot of negativity towards public figures comes from people who don’t actually follow them, or who have only recently followed them, and who simply pile on in the moment. We saw this after the recent Euro 2020 final, which resulted in a significant and unacceptable spike in racist abuse towards players.

“Creators also tell us they don’t want to switch off comments and messages completely; they still want to hear from their community and build those relationships. Limits allows you to hear from your long-standing followers, while limiting contact from people who might only be coming to your account to target you.

“Limits will be available to everyone on Instagram globally from today. Go to your privacy settings to turn it on or off, whenever you want. We’re also exploring ways to detect when you may be experiencing a spike in comments and DMs so that we can prompt you to turn on Limits,” he added.

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