Instagram introduces anti-hate speech tools to let users limit comments and requests on popular posts, following abuse towards England soccer players

Instagram has introduced new features called Limits and Hidden Words designed to reduce hate and abuse on trending posts, the company — announced.

Engadget 2021-08-11 Steve Dent

Context & Ripple Effects

Instagram’s new controls extend a multi-year shift from post-level moderation to user-configurable boundaries: it had already added controls over who can comment and tested warnings before offensive comments and quiet restrictions on abusive accounts. The move follows Instagram’s separate decision to impose tougher account penalties after racist messages aimed at footballers, linking public-post abuse and direct-message abuse in a broader safety response.

First-order effects

People receiving surges of attention can use Limits and Hidden Words to reduce unwanted comments and message requests without turning off participation for everyone.
Instagram adds a user-facing layer to its abuse response alongside stricter penalties for abusive DM accounts, giving targets of harassment more immediate control over their inboxes and comment sections.

Second-order effects

Abusive commenters and message senders face less visibility and access when account owners activate the tools, reducing the reach that makes pile-ons effective.
Instagram’s safety work shifts more moderation decisions to account owners, while its account-removal policy remains the backstop for conduct that warrants platform enforcement.

Third-order effects

The product direction points toward safety systems that combine platform penalties with adjustable interaction boundaries, rather than relying on one universal comment policy.
The later expansion of Limits for teen interactions suggests the control can become a reusable safety setting across user groups and interaction types.

The trend: Instagram is moving from isolated comment controls toward configurable, cross-surface tools that let users contain coordinated or high-volume abuse.

Discussion

@mosseri @mosseri on x
We're rolling out Hidden Words to everyone, globally, by the end of this month. When it's on, it'll automatically filter DM requests with offensive words, phrases, and emojis so you never have to see them. https://twitter.com/...
@mosseri @mosseri on x
We already show a warning when someone tries to post a potentially hurtful comment. If they try to post it again, we show a stronger warning - saying we may remove it if they post. Now, we'll show the stronger message the first time rather than waiting for multiple tries. https:/…
@mosseri @mosseri on x
Today we're announcing three updates to protect people from racism and abuse on Instagram. We don't allow hate speech or bullying on our platform, and we hope these new tools will help protect people from having to experience abuse.
@mosseri @mosseri on x
Limits is a feature that lets you hide comments and DMs from people who don't follow you or who only just followed you. It's intended to prevent harassment - especially towards creators and public figures - during spikes of abuse. https://twitter.com/...
@twitteruk @twitteruk on x
Since our update in February, we've improved our proactive tools to identify racist abuse and removed just under 13,000 Tweets - of which 95% were identified proactively. Soon, we will be testing a new product feature that temporarily autoblocks accounts using harmful language.
@twitteruk @twitteruk on x
Our data suggests that ID verification would have been unlikely to prevent the abuse from happening - as of the permanently suspended accounts, 99% of account owners were identifiable.
@andrewdasnyt Andrew Das on x
“Ultimately the onus is on them to go into Instagram and input which emojis/words they don't want to feature,” one executive told employees. Troubling reporting by @RMac18 and @tariqpanja on how FB says it's on players, not company, to police online abuse. https://www.google.com/…
@kendilaniannbc Ken Dilanian on x
“The message was clear: It was up to the players and the clubs to protect themselves online.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@andrewdasnyt Andrew Das on x
“... By February, the list had grown to about 20 different news clips in a single month.” Racist abuse of Black players is well known to social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. But they say it's up to the players (!!) to hide it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@shiraovide Shira Ovide on x
Some days I'm not sure about the wisdom of frictionless communications that can reach billions of people with the push of a button. Today is one of those days: https://www.nytimes.com/...
@twitteruk @twitteruk on x
Today, We want to share an overview of our analysis of the abhorrent racist abuse directed at England players during the Euro 2020 Final last month, and an update of the ongoing steps we've put in place since February to protect the public conversation in the UK.
@rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x
We learned Instagram will announce new features this week that will give ppl the ability to hide comments from users that don't follow them or recently followed them (signs of a potential abuser). It's the third update this year aimed at combating racism: https://www.nytimes.com/…
@mathewi Mathew Ingram on x
In case you needed more evidence that plenty of people are more than happy to say horrible, disgusting, racist things under their real names. Anonymity is a red herring https://twitter.com/...
@anahomayoun Ana Homayoun on x
“...FB provided soccer representatives with an athlete safety guide, including directions on how players could shield themselves from bigotry using its tools. The message was clear: It was up to the players and the clubs to protect themselves online.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x
.@RMac18's first NYT story manages to incorporate his two greatest passions: soccer and holding Facebook accountable https://www.nytimes.com/...
@tariqpanja Tariq Panja on x
Teamed up with ⁦@RMac18 to get inside the mess Facebook has found itself in over what several football leaders say are weak efforts to tame racist abuse on its platforms. Premier League players are bracing for more of the same. via @NYTimes https://www.nytimes.com/...
@tariqpanja Tariq Panja on x
Bukayo Saka knew he was going to get it. Facebook also knew he was going to get it. And yet Facebook - one of the world's most-resourced companies - finds tackling racism too difficult to stamp out of its platforms. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@benhcarrington Ben Carrington on x
“...the UK was by far the largest country of origin for the abusive Tweets on the night of the Final and in the days that followed.” This is an important fact as the apologists for the racism (Spiked et al) tried to claim the abuse was from Russian bots. https://blog.twitter.com/…
@rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x
My first story for the NYT is up. It's a look at how Facebook has tried and failed over the last two years to deal with the racist abuse of English soccer players. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@joey__schafer Joey Schafer on x
“The impasse with English soccer is another instance of Facebook's failing to solve speech problems on its platform, even after it was made aware of the level of abuse.” Fantastic article from @RMac18 and @tariqpanja https://www.nytimes.com/...
@venkatananth Venkat Ananth on x
Worth reading this by @RMac18 and @tariqpanja. How Facebook failed to stem racist abuse of English footballers. Rashford's manager: “I wouldn't be under any illusions we will be in exactly the same place, having exactly the same conversation next season” https://www.nytimes.com/.…
@jmulich Jeppe Mulich on x
ID verification won't do much to prevent racism and abuse in places like the UK. It will, however, prevent many users from using Twitter in places where dissent is criminalized. https://twitter.com/...
@rasmus_kleis Rasmus Kleis Nielsen on x
“Kelly Hogarth, who helps manage Mr. Rashford's off-field activities, said he had no plans to leave social media” and says “I wouldn't be under any illusions we will be in exactly the same place, having exactly the same conversation[on racism] next season” https://www.nytimes.com…
@tariqpanja Tariq Panja on x
One post that was reported — an Instagram comment that read, “Bro stay in Africa” — apparently did not violate the platform's rules... 🙄 https://www.nytimes.com/...
@ianbirrell Ian Birrell on x
So despite what you may have read, those racist tweets during the Euros largely came from UK accounts that were not anonymous https://blog.twitter.com/...
@tellmamauk Tell Mama Uk on x
The UK “by far - the largest country of origin” for the racist tweets. 99% of the accounts suspended were not anonymous. 90% of the racist tweets Twitter removed proactively. https://blog.twitter.com/...
@chantayyjayy @chantayyjayy on x
People honestly do not care. The repercussions for their abuse is pretty much non existent which is why they don't mind being identifiable online. https://twitter.com/...
@owenjones84 Owen Jones on x
Can we stop pretending social media ID verification is a solution to online abuse - it isn't - and spend more time holding to account a media and political elite which whip up racism and hatred... https://twitter.com/...
@stokel Chris Stokel-Walker on x
99% of abusive tweets around the Euros were sent by non-anonymous accounts. Can we stop the fantasy that doxxing everyone stops racism, please? https://blog.twitter.com/...

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