Facebook expands 'false information rating' to Instagram posts

Instagram is expanding its fact-checking program around the world. Instagram is now letting fact-checking organisations globally to evaluate and estimate the nature and quality of misinformation on the platform. Starting from May this year, the social networking company started working with third-party fact-checkers in the United States to help identify, review and label false information. Instagram says that these partners independently assess false information and minimise the spreading of disinformation.

Instagram says when content has been rated as false or partly false by a third-party fact-checker, it reduces such content from spreading on the platform by removing it from the Explore and hashtag pages. In addition, Instagram says such content will be labelled so users can decide for themselves whether they want to read, trust or share. Those labels appear to all Instagram users viewing that content in the feed, stories and direct messages.

Instagram says it uses image-matching technology to find further instances of this content and apply the label and reduce the duplication of misinformation. Facebook is expanding false and partly false content ratings to Instagram posts.

"The label will link out to the rating from the fact-checker and provide links to articles from credible sources that debunk the claim(s) made in the post," Facebook said.

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"We make content from accounts that repeatedly receive these labels harder to find by removing it from Explore and hashtag pages," it added.

Instagram determines which content should be sent to fact-checkers for review, courtesy of feedback from its users. Earlier this year, Instagram added a “False Information” feedback option. With the help of user reports and 'other signals,' Instagram claims to identify and take action on potentially false information.

How to report false information on Instagram

-- Open Instagram and tap the three-dotted icon above the post
-- Tap 'Report', then 'False information' and then 'Send'

In the event that you feel that your post was wrongly rated false or partially false, you can always appeal such ratings on Instagram.

-- Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu
-- Tap heart icon and then tap the 'false information notification'
-- Tap Full fact-check and then tap 'Send them an email'

This way, you can send an email directly to the third-party fact-checking organisation to dispute your posts' rating.

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