Rumor: Instagram is testing function to put posts from others on your own timeline

Instagram is reportedly testing a feature that allows users to “reshare” posts from others and post to their own timeline. The social network has long resisted such a feature, as it encourages the dissemination of misinformation.

The Verge claims to have two screenshots that the site does not publish. According to the site, posts will have an option labeled “share to feed” in the top right of the screen. When users click that, contacts of that person will see the post appear with the name and photo of the account from whom the post originally came above it.

It is unknown whether Instagram actually wants to introduce the feature and if so, for which accounts. One of the screenshots shows a company account and the site speculates that it may be a feature that only works with company posts. At the moment, users can share posts in which they are mentioned. Instagram did not comment.

The Facebook subsidiary, mainly focused on image sharing, has long been vehemently opposed to sharing posts, mainly because it threatens the personal nature of the feed and encourages the spread of misinformation. That’s a problem that parent company Facebook has had to deal with a lot in recent years. That came in the wake of allegations that fake news on Facebook influenced the 2016 US presidential election.

Other social networks have had the function of sharing other people’s posts for much longer. In Facebook this is called sharing, in Twitter it is about retweeting, an important function of that social network.