Instagram is pinning human reviewers as responsible for its recent moderation issues
Instagram has attributed recent moderation issues to human error and broken tools rather than AI. However, the platform acknowledges that not all problems are fully explained by human error and continues to investigate various user-reported issues affecting account access and engagement.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently took to Threads to address the recent moderation issues which caused a series of unexpected account suspensions and post disappearances for several Instagram and Threads users. Contrary to widespread speculation, many of these problems were not attributed to faulty AI systems but to human error.
According to Mosseri, Instagram's human reviewers were working with insufficient context due to a broken tool that usually provides reviewers with the necessary information. This technical issue led to several mistakes and poor decision-making from several reviewers, ultimately causing many of the inconveniences experienced by the platforms' users.
It seems implausible that this explanation accounts for all reported issues. Although it may explain why some users experienced post downranking and spam flagging, some users found their accounts erroneously labeled as belonging to minors under 13 and subsequently disabled. Even after users repeated the age verification process, many accounts remained inaccessible. It is unlikely that a human reviewer would have undertaken such a course of action.
Instagram did acknowledge that not all issues stem from human moderation errors and that multiple factors may be at play. The company is still investigating some problems, including the underage flagging issue. As Instagram investigates these challenges, Mosseri has asked for users' patience and continued feedback, emphasizing the platform's commitment to providing a safer experience.
