Whenever the Instagram app was closed, the toggle for political content will reset to its original state.
Meta made the contentious decision earlier this year to automatically remove political content from users’ recommendations in Threads and Instagram by default. This decision has been met with widespread negative feedback. The firm stated that it did not intend to “proactively amplify” political messages and that users had the option to opt-in through their Instagram settings if they desired to view information of this nature.
On the other hand, it was discovered that Meta continued to restrict access to political content, even for individuals who had voluntarily chosen to view it. The “political content” toggle, which was already buried many layers deep within Instagram’s settings menu, appears to have been reverted back to the “limit” setting each time the app was closed due to an undefined “error.” Meta states that political material “is likely to mention governments, elections, or social topics that affect a group of people and/or society at large.” Examples of political content include the following:
A number of users on Threads, including Democratic strategist Keith Edwards, brought attention to the problem, which was then validated by Engadget. It is not known how long the “error” was influencing the recommendations that users were receiving. On the website Threads, a spokesperson for Meta named Andy Stone stated that “this was an error and should not have happened.” “We are working for the purpose of repairing it.” When asked how long the setting had been malfunctioning, Meta did not provide a response to the questions that were asked.
There is a good chance that this matter may cause Meta to be questioned over its stance on political content. Despite the fact that Threads is frequently compared to X, the company has adopted a strict attitude regarding the regulation of content. They have restricted the visibility of political content and have outright blocked “potentially sensitive” topics from search results. This includes anything that is associated with COVID-19.
After some time had passed, Stone acknowledged that the alleged bug had been fixed. “Earlier today, we identified an error in which people’s selections in the Instagram political content settings tool mistakenly appeared to have reset even though no change had actually been made,” he wrote in an article on Threads. “The issue has now been fixed and we encourage people to check and make sure their settings reflect their preferences.”