Instagram temporarily disables recent hashtag posts to fight misinformation

Instagram has made some changes in the lead up to the 2020 US election.

The social media company recently removed the ability for users to see top or recent posts on hashtags in an effort to “prevent the spread of possible false in formation and harmful content related to the 2020 US election,” states the website’s Help Centre page.

• See also: 
  • UW researchers are designing COVID-19 vaccines on computers (VIDEO)
  • Burger King is telling people to go eat at McDonald’s
  • Seattle Public Library suspending services at branches with ballot boxes

Those who type a hashtag into Instagram’s search bar will still be able to see nine top posts, but they will be greeted by a message noting that “recent posts from all hashtags are temporarily hidden to help prevent the spread of possible false information and harmful content related to the election.”

The Instagram Comms Twitter account posted a statement regarding the change on October 29, when the new measure was first put into place.

Starting today, for people in the U.S. we will temporarily remove the “Recent” tab from hashtag pages. We’re doing this to reduce the real-time spread of potentially harmful content that could pop up around the election.

— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) October 29, 2020

“As we near the US elections, we’re making changes to make it harder for people to come across possible misinformation on Instagram,” reads the statement.

“Starting today, for people in the US we will temporarily remove the ‘Recent’ tab from hashtag pages. We’re doing this to reduce the real-time spread of potentially harmful content that could pop up around the election.”

A representative from Instagram noted in an email to Daily Hive that the company does not currently have a specific time to share regarding when the temporary change would end.