Instagram’s anti-spam system is programmed to recognize and prevent repeating activity that quickly grows on the platform. However, it looks like it has been working too zealously since some users have reported that they were unable to share posts with #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. Instead of sharing the post, they would get an “action blocked” message from Instagram.
At the moment of writing this, #blacklivesmatter hashtag has over 1.3 million posts. However, some users shared a screenshot of the message they got when trying to share posts that contains it. “This action was blocked. Please try again later. We restrict certain content and actions to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.”
Instagram addressed the issue in a thread on Twitter after users reported it. “We’re aware that some people are incorrectly running into ‘action blocked’ messages when using the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, or resharing related posts,” Instagram writes. “We have technology that detects rapidly increasing activity on Instagram to help combat spam. Given the increase in content shared to #blacklivesmatter, this technology is incorrectly coming into effect.” In the thread, Instagram says that they’re resolving the issue. It’s not clear, however, how many users have been affected nor for how long the issue has been present. “We want to be clear that using #blacklivesmatter is supported and celebrated on Instagram, and we are moving quickly to ensure voices using this hashtag are heard,” the thread concludes.
[via Engadget]
