In light of recent developments with the COVID-19 outbreak, Instagram has issued an update on the efforts it is engaging in to keep the online community safe and informed on COVID-19, and provide support.
The social media platform has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to encounter misinformation and ensure the online community is following the appropriate health guidelines.
It said:
“Do let us know if you would like to share the below initiatives with your respective audiences, and please reach out to us should you need more information. We will update you on any further actions we take.
Keeping the community informed
With the influx of news being circulated on the advancements and safety tips surrounding COVID-19, Instagram is removing known harmful misinformation related to the novel virus.
• When users tap on a hashtag related to COVID-19, Instagram shows resources from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and respective local health ministries, which are also available at the top of users’ feeds. This helps better connect people to credible resources
• We are sending posts that may be misleading to the platform’s fact-checking partners for review
• We are blocking and restricting hashtags being used to spread misinformation
• We are banning ads exploiting the situation
We are thinking through a longer-term solution to help connect people searching COVID-19 related terms with credible information. In the meantime, we’re showing the accounts of leading health organizations in these searches to better connect people to credible resources.
Managing COVID-19 related AR effects
Instagram will no longer allow people to search for COVID-19 related AR effects on the platform, unless they were developed in partnership with a recognized health organization. This is part of our ongoing effort to better connect people with credible health information.
Instagram’s collaboration with WHO and @Dudewithsign
@Dudewithsign shared a series of memes on Instagram inspired by guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) to share accurate information about how to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
We are seeing that @who is using IGTV and creative meme formats to make sure that accurate information about Coronavirus can reach broader audiences, and teens who use Instagram as a source for news. Watch the full video on IGTV on how to protect yourself from COVID 19 below, and learn more about the #SafeHands Challenge here.”
View this post on Instagram
