Meta, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, issued an apology after Instagram users were exposed to violent, graphic, and disturbing content, including animal abuse and images of corpses.
Users reported encountering these disturbing images due to a glitch in the Instagram algorithm.
Reels, a feature similar to TikTok, allows users to share short videos on the platform.
Some users described seeing disturbing videos, including a man being crushed by an elephant, torn apart by a helicopter, and putting his face in boiling oil. Others reported encountering “sensitive content” screens meant to protect users from such graphic material.
A user shared a list of violent content in their feed, as reported by Tech News Site 404, which included videos of a man on fire, a shooting incident, content from an account named “PeopleDeaddaily,” and a pig being beaten.
Another Reddit user expressed concern about the violent content flooding their feed and questioned Instagram’s algorithm’s accuracy and intent.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, issued an apology for the error.
The incident occurred amidst changes in Meta’s content moderation approach, although the company clarified that the graphic video flood was not related to any policy changes.
Meta’s Content Guidelines mandate removal of particularly violent or graphic content and limiting the use of sensitive content screens. In the UK, the Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to protect users under 18 from harmful materials.
A campaign group advocating for online safety called for a detailed explanation regarding the Instagram algorithm mishap.
The Molly Rose Foundation, established by the family of Molly Russell, a teenager who took her own life in 2017, urged Instagram to explain why such disturbing content appears on the platform.
Andy Burrows, CEO of the foundation, expressed concern that the policy changes at Meta may lead to increased availability of graphic content on the platform.
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, editor of an anthology set in the Wild Cards universe
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December is traditionally a quiet month in the publishing world, and that’s true this year as well, with fewer new books than usual to tempt us sci-fi geeks. However, there are some novels that I find very enjoyable. One example is Makana Yamamoto’s debut novel, which was described by the publisher as an “adventurous love letter” to Hawaii. And less interesting, but just as fascinating, is Arthur C. Clarke Prize winner Jane Rogers’ new collection of short stories, all climate fiction and (according to the publisher) “no easy answers. “It raises questions about personal responsibility.” It might also publish a huge and expensive 10-volume graphic novel, an adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel. three body problem Put it on my Christmas wishlist – it sounds really epic.
The publisher pitches it as follows: oceans 8 meet blade runner – And what’s not to love there? – It follows Edie, who has just been released on parole from an icy prison planet, and meets Angel, the woman who sold her eight years ago. Angel offers Edie one last job. His goal is to defeat the billionaire “god of technology” that he was unable to stop last time. This has a lot of hype from a major publisher and looks like a lot of fun. By the way, hamajan is borrowed from the Hawaiian pidgin and is said to mean “a state of disorder or chaos.” A mess.
This is the latest anthology set in . wild card In space, an alien virus released into the world gives superpowers to 1% of the people it infects. This is the third book in the series, edited by Martin and featuring writing from a variety of authors. wild cardAfter the “British Arc” of queens over knives and three kings. The story is set on the fictional island of Coon, which is connected to mainland Cornwall only by an ancient tidal channel.
Jane Rogers won Britain’s highest science fiction award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, in 2012. Jesse Lamb’s will. (I really liked this book. It’s set in a world where all pregnant women are infected with a deadly virus, and it’s narrated by a teenager.) A collection of climate fiction stories that span viral pandemics. Until the end of 22n.d. From the Australian outback, where bushfires are raging, to Oxfordshire, where an old man is chained to an old beech tree about to be cut down. I especially love sounds set in a distant future in space, where Earth is barren but may be starting to recover.
This space opera is in part a sequel to a work with a great title. August Kitoko and the mechas from space. Of course, this work features a “ragtag group of misfits” fighting a “giant army of mechs” to destroy humanity. Our main characters are the super attractive pop star Ardent Violet and her new boyfriend August Kitoko. The book also promises a “mysterious omnipotent AI” and a coalition of aliens.
Eve Ridley (left) as The Follower and Kai Shimooka as Sophon in “Three Body Problem”
This epic 10-volume graphic novel adaptation is for the full-length Cixin Liu lovers out there, but I suspect there’s probably some in there. new scientist Dear readers. The film, which was nominated for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic, is said to include several additional features, including a transcript of an interview with character Ye Wenjie by the Beijing PSB Criminal Investigation Squad. are. Liu himself says, “I believe graphic novels provide the widest possible canvas for science fiction.” Wouldn’t it be a good idea to put it on your Christmas list?
After romantasy (romance + fantasy), sci-fi romance seems to be the most popular genre these days, and I’m all for it. It’s about Ada being given an undercover mission by a group of rebels that happened to be at a charity event, where she finds Ryan, who tries to stop her. Here’s how the publisher describes fans of Becky Chambers and Martha Wells: I mean, that’s me.
21 second halfcent In this century, as the United States is ravaged by global warming, a mother and daughter escape from the Inside Project, a climate change relief program where they have been treated as lab rats for the past 22 years. As the weather continues to worsen and the remaining humans struggle to survive, they go on the run and encounter women from their mother’s past.
This is the latest installment in Zahn’s Icarus series, and is set in a universe where an alien race called the Icari disappeared 10,000 years ago, leaving behind portals through which people could be transported to the stars. In this expedition, Gregory Rourke and his partner Selene are tasked with finding these alien artifacts, only to find themselves on a distant planet, by a group of aliens called the Unmei who have their own portal plans. I realize what I’m facing.
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