Researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory found in a new report that Instagram's algorithms connect and promote a "vast network" of pedophiles interested in "underage sex content."
The social media platform's algorithms promote illicit content to accounts "openly devoted to the commission and purchase" of the material, according to investigations by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests," the researchers found. "Though out of sight for most on the platform, the sexualized accounts on Instagram are brazen about their interest."
The researchers reportedly found that Instagram enabled people to search explicit hashtags such as #pedowhore and #preteensex and connected them to accounts that used the terms to advertise child-sex material for sale. Such accounts often claim to be run by the children themselves and use overtly sexual handles incorporating words such as "little slut for you," the researchers found.
Commenting on the report, cybersecurity and data analyst Andrea Stroppa tweeted: "Today the WSJ and Stanford Internet Observatory released important research showing pedophiles use Instagram to share material. We're happy that Stanford and WSJ followed our steps in working on this critical issue. As an independent researcher with my team, we showed how Twitter 1.0 ignored CSAM on its platform. With Twitter 2.0, we had the privilege to help, and now the platform owned by Elon Musk @elonmusk for less than one year is among the safest for children."
Responding to the findings about Instagram, parent company Meta said it is working on preventing its systems from recommending that potentially pedophilic adults connect with one another or interact with one another’s content.
Critics slam Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for aggressively banning conservatives from the platform and censoring political speech while pedophiles and far-left terrorist groups like antifa operate freely on the social media platforms