Instagram users can now report fake news

Instagram users now have the option to report posts that they believe contain fake information. Parent company Facebook will use that feedback to improve the automatic recognition of fake news via artificial intelligence.

The feedback about possible fake content and some other ‘signals’, such as the date of the post and the history of the account, should eventually help Instagram determine whether a post should be verified by external fact checkers. According to Engadget, the new feature should not be confused with the screen feature introduced in May for messages that potentially contain fake news. This is and will remain a pilot project for the time being.

To report fake news in Instagram, the user has to click on the three dots next to the post in the top right and choose Report, It’s inappropriate, Fake information. The new feature is currently being released worldwide and is therefore not yet available on every smartphone.

If a post is indeed marked as dubious, Instagram will not remove the post, Poynter writes based on statements from the Instagram spokesperson. However, the message will appear less prominently on the Explore tab and the hashtag page of the service. The author of the message is not informed that his message is being verified, nor is he informed of the fact checker’s verdict. According to Engadget, Instagram is working with the third-party auditors who are also engaged for Facebook to check facts.