Instagram apologizes after algorithm promotes harmful diet content to people with eating disorders

April 15, 2021

By Thomas Macaulay

Instagram has apologized for a “mistake” that led its algorithm to promote harmful diet content to people with eating disorders. The social network had been automatically recommending terms including “appetite suppressant,” which campaigners feared could lead vulnerable people to relapse. Facebook, which owns Instagram, told the BBC that the suggestions were triggered by a new search functionality: As part of this new feature, when you tap on the search bar, we’ll suggest topics you may want to search for. Those suggestions, as well as the search results themselves, are limited to general interests, and weight loss should not have been one…

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Source:: The Next Web

      

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