Instagram's Algorithm Linked to Pedophile Rings, Report Finds.
Instagram has become the primary platform for buyers and sellers of underage sex content, with hundreds of thousands of users searching explicit hashtags to uncover illegal "menus" of content. While other platforms play a role in processing payments and delivering content, Instagram is where the majority of the activity takes place. Despite efforts by platform-owner Meta to combat child exploitation, researchers have found that the company's trust and safety team is missing easily discoverable hashtags and that Instagram's recommendation system is "directly undercutting" their efforts. Instagram has an obligation to ensure its recommendation system does not promote abusive content, according to researchers.