Instagram fixes ‘mistake’ promoting harmful diet content
- Instagram has apologised after a “mistake” with its algorithm promoted diet content to users with eating disorders.
- The search function in the app automatically recommended terms including “appetite suppressants” and “fasting” to some people.
- Eating disorder campaigners told the BBC that vulnerable people could be triggered and even relapse.
- The social media platform said harmful terms have now been removed.
- For the full story, select here.
Omegle user being used to entice other users into sexual activity
- An Omegle user has described how they were horrified to find a video of themselves performing sexually explicit acts, being used to entice others into sexual activity online.
- The user, Michael (not his real name) explained that he used Omegle and had multiple online sexual experiences as a teenager, but did not realise he was being recorded.
- Michael, now 21 said he ‘randomly got paired with a video of myself on the website doing 18+ stuff. Someone had recorded me masturbating and had been using it for at least a year.”
- Although Michael’s face is not present in the video, he is sharing his story because he wants people to learn from his experience and question who is on the other side of the video call.
- For the full story, select here.
Instagram test letting users toggle public like counts on and off
- Instagram will test the ability to give people more control over where they see like counts on posts
- The company announced a “small global test” that will present users with three options when it comes to the ‘like’ count: choosing not to see like counts on anyone’s posts, turning them off for their own posts, or keeping the original experience.
- It also said it was “working on a similar experience” for Facebook, but it hasn’t clarified what that might look like.
- For the full story, select here.
