Cyberbullying: On Instagram, offensive private messages can be automatically filtered

On Instagram, any public account can receive private messages from complete strangers.

This feature conceals good surprises (messages from fans, partnership proposals, etc.).

But it can also be an anxiety-provoking space, with its share of sexist, racist, homophobic insults, offensive remarks about the physique, threats of violence, rape or death, or even unwanted sexual solicitations.

So that Instagram users can consult their private message box without having a trembling hand, the social network is launching in the coming weeks a new feature that will initially be reserved for a handful of countries, including France.

Read also: Instagram is testing the option to hide "likes" as it pleases

Each user will be able to activate a filter which will automatically sort “

DM requests

” (ie private messages from accounts to which the person is not subscribed) in order to filter insulting messages.

These will not be deleted, but placed in a specific and inconspicuous folder.

Instagram's tool was first tested with influencers and celebrities, such as footballers, before being extended to everyone.

Customize the list of prohibited terms

“

This is a major step in the action against hate speech and the strengthening of user protection.

We hope that this tool will be a pioneer in the social networking industry,

”said Clotilde Briend, Instagram's public affairs manager.

Read also: Restricted DM, age verification: Instagram strengthens the protection of adolescents on the network

In France, the social network worked with the Génération Numérique association, a specialist in cyberbullying issues, to build a list of offensive words, expressions or emojis.

"

It is important to collaborate with actors on the ground, who have feedback on the problems encountered by Internet users, and who know the symbols or the implicit discourse

" used to attack communities.

This list is not exhaustive.

Each user can customize it as they wish.

“

Not everyone is hurt by the same terms.

Everyone will be able to control their experience,

”continues the head of public affairs.

Filters capable of bypassing typos

The user can choose to never go to the hidden folder where the insulting messages are stored.

He may also decide to go and read them.

In this case, the words and emojis on the blacklist will be blurred to protect the user.

You will have to click on it to see the original messages in their entirety.

“

The user will be able to delete all the messages, or else report them to our moderation teams.

We let him control,

”explains Clotilde Briend.

Read also: Facebook is considering a version of Instagram for children

Instagram has already offered to automatically filter hateful comments posted under photos for several years.

"

We are working to ensure that the filter can hide offensive terms that have been misspelled,

" adds the director of public affairs.

It is indeed common for Internet users to write insults by intentionally forgetting or reversing letters in order to deceive censorship algorithms.

This intelligent filter will subsequently be integrated into private messages.

Block all accounts of the same stalker

Instagram wants to put more sticks in the wheels of stalkers. Soon, users will be able to block all accounts created, at time T or in the future, by someone whose messages they do not want to see. Creating multiple accounts is a common tactic of cyber-stalkers: as soon as one of their digital avatars is blocked or suspended, another takes over.

Social networks and platforms are multiplying initiatives to prevent their users from being confronted with "trolls", Internet users who specialize in insulting and cyberstalking. Some features are aimed primarily at minors, who may be victims of hurtful attacks by their classmates, or be the target of sexual predators. The pressure from the public authorities has indeed increased significantly, so that the platforms deal more firmly with the problem of online hatred. A whole chapter of the future European Digital Services Act regulation is devoted to this.