No Surprise - Instagram Has an Abuse Problem

**The Hidden Epidemic of Online Hate in Instagram Direct Messages: A Call for Change**

In an era where digital platforms have become the cornerstone of global communication, online hate continues to flourish in unexpected corners of cyberspace. While much attention has been paid to overt expressions of hate in public forums like comments sections and tweets, a quieter yet equally damaging form of harassment is taking place in direct messages (DMs). This article delves into the findings of a groundbreaking study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which reveals the alarming prevalence of hate in Instagram DMs and the inadequate response from the platform.

**Introduction to the Center for Countering Digital Hate**

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) was established six years ago following the tragic murder of Joe Cox, a UK Member of Parliament, by a far-right domestic terrorist. Since its inception, the center has dedicated itself to investigating how malicious actors exploit digital platforms to incite real-world harm. By acting as a watchdog and advocating for systemic change, CCDH aims to create safer online environments.

**The Hidden Epidemic: Hate in Instagram DMs**

While public discourse often focuses on overt hate in comments and replies, the study conducted by CCDH highlights the disturbing reality of hate flourishing in private spaces like Instagram DMs. The research involved analyzing 9,000 DMs sent to five prominent women with millions of followers each. These women ranged from magazine editors to Hollywood celebrities like Amber Heard.

The findings were stark: approximately one in fifteen messages received by these women were hateful or abusive. The study revealed a disturbing trend where hate was not confined to public spaces but extended into the supposedly safer haven of direct communication. This shift underscores the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in private messaging platforms.

**Challenges in Reporting and Platform Response**

The study further exposed significant gaps in Instagram's response to reported hate. When the team posed as the women receiving the messages, they found that only one in ten instances of hate led to any form of action from Instagram. This included egregious violations such as death threats, graphic sexual imagery, and misogynistic slurs.

One of the most concerning aspects highlighted was Instagram's requirement for users to view potentially harmful content before reporting it. This not only places an undue burden on victims but also perpetuates a cycle of fear and silence. The platform's lackluster response sends a clear message: hate in DMs is often tolerated, with minimal consequences for perpetrators.

**Critics Suggest Closing DMs; CCDH Argues for Equality**

In the wake of these findings, some have suggested that women and other marginalized groups should simply shut down their Instagram DMs to avoid exposure. However, Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, counters this notion by emphasizing the importance of equal access to digital spaces. "Why should women or LGBTQ+ individuals or Black people face a second-class experience online?" he asks.

Ahmed points out that closing DMs would limit opportunities for legitimate engagement and collaboration. Instead, platforms like Instagram must take proactive steps to create safer environments where all users can engage without fear of harassment.

**The Broader Implications: A Tax on Marginalized Voices**

The study's findings reveal a deeper issue: the digital world imposes an additional burden on marginalized voices. Women, in particular, bear the brunt of this, facing a "tax" in the form of constant abuse that discourages them from fully participating in public life.

This systemic issue is not isolated to Instagram. Across platforms like Twitter and Facebook, marginalized individuals are forced to navigate a gauntlet of hate that often goes unaddressed. The result is a chilling effect on free expression and participation, particularly for those who have historically been excluded from dominant narratives.

**CCDH's Other Research: A Comprehensive Approach**

While the study focuses on Instagram DMs, CCDH has long explored various aspects of online harm. Their work includes investigations into anti-Semitic content, anti-Muslim hate, and the spread of disinformation by groups like the "Disinformation Dozen," cited by President Biden as key purveyors of online falsehoods.

This multifaceted approach underscores the center's commitment to understanding and addressing all forms of digital harm. Their research not only highlights existing problems but also offers actionable solutions for platforms, policymakers, and users alike.

**Call to Action: Join the Movement**

The study's release has sparked widespread media attention, with outlets like *The Washington Post* and *The New York Times* highlighting its significance. To turn this awareness into meaningful change, CCDH encourages individuals to take action:

1. **Sign the Petition**: A petition backed by 26 leading civil rights organizations calls on Instagram to address the issue of hate in DMs.

2. **Engage with Decision-Makers**: As Instagram's Adam Mosseri prepares to receive an honor at the Met Gala, use this opportunity to voice concerns. Send a tweet or DM urging him to review the report and take decisive action.

**Conclusion: Toward a Safer Digital Future**

The fight against online hate is not just about policy changes but also about cultural shifts. By holding platforms accountable and advocating for safer spaces, we can foster an inclusive digital environment where everyone's voice is valued.

As Imran Ahmed noted, "Our voices are being taxed with abuse. It's time to demand better." The work of CCDH serves as a reminder that while the road to change may be long, it is necessary—and worth fighting for. Visit **counterhate.com** to learn more and get involved in the movement toward a safer digital future.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is twit i think a lot of people are familiar with have seen have maybe experienced online hate uh in public places right you've seen it in your your comments perhaps or in replies on twitter but one place that folks might not be thinking about online hate is in the direct message area of these social media platforms well the center for countering digital hate has been looking at these sort of off-the-grid places these places that uh the public doesn't necessarily see uh to track and understand not only abuse there but maybe how companies could be doing more to protect folks there joining us today from the center for countering digital hate is the ceo imran ahmed welcome to the show thanks so much yeah happy to have you here so i i think before we get into this specific study what i'd love uh to start out is by you explaining what the center for countering digital hate does as a whole i think people need to hear about uh this center well we were set up uh six years ago in the wake of the uh well the murder of my colleague joe cox mp by a far-right uh domestic terrorist in the uk during the referendum on ever since we've been looking at the ways in which bad actors have weaponized what we've realized the bad platforms to create offline harm in our society and to act as a watchdog for the harms being created and suggest solutions for how we can make things better excellent yeah this um the study that i came across that i wanted to talk to you about uh centers around instagram which we have uh i think all of us have heard a lot about the impact that instagram has on uh young folks in particular uh the the power so to speak of instagram as a whole and it is um something that i think folks may not have been considering is the stuff that takes place in direct messages there so i was hoping you could start uh by talking about the hidden hate research that you folks have done so instagram is a really important platform it's a way in which we establish our brands in which we you know communicate we express ourselves we we maintain relationships we transact commerce uh and in that respect it's been studied quite a lot the amount of sort of open hatred that there is on that platform and the effects that has on people but what we kept hearing we were talking to people was you think it's bad in public just wait till you see my direct messages and we wanted to have a look at well is there a way at scale to look at the the the the quantum of um harms being created in direct messages so how much hate is there we worked with five very prominent women with millions of followers and analyzed 9 000 of their dms over several months and these women range from a magazine uh editor to the hollywood celebrity amber heard um and what we found was that about one in 15 of the messages they got were hateful but the real problem came when we actually started reporting that hate to the platform as though we were the women themselves and we found that only in one in ten instances was any action taken against people who were sending one word misogynist hate graphic sexual imagery or death threats wow so was this that uh in those instances where the action was taken um was instagram responding in direct but how did that uh look whenever the the situation actually worked in that one in ten instance so i mean instagram promised in february 2021 they said that they recognized that dms were an important vector for abuse and that abuse is really impactful because it means that women don't want to go onto the platform they don't want to log on they don't want to see what's in their dms they might be missing out on business opportunities they might be missing out on lovely messages from their friends because they don't want to have a look at what horrible people are saying on there and what we found is that only in one in ten instances did instagram do what they said they would do which is to ban people who are sending i mean death threats explicit sexual imagery which of course shouldn't be allowed like if you break the rules like that that is a kind of red card offense and one of the the notes that you made uh in in the blog post regarding this study is the fact that in some instances you're not even able to make a report on or or ask for action to be taken unless you view the message that the person sends so you are required to expose yourself to whatever it might be uh in order to respond on the platform is this just in your opinion and in looking at this is this just sort of a basic uh failing of instagram and understanding how this digital hate uh takes place i mean if you allow people to and to send unsolicited audio and video messages which can only be you can only assess as to whether or not they're from someone horrible or a friend by playing it well that is a system that's rife for abuse especially because these can come as message requests so not just from someone that you know but from anyone and the problem with that system is that they haven't built in safety by designer how safety would work in a system like that is that you would learn very quickly that they take enforcement action and that the this is really about creating norms of behavior which are which which are in favor of women and not in favor of abusers at the moment the norms that instagram have established by virtue of the action they take rather than their rule then their rule say this stuff is banned but the actions they take talk louder than the words of their rules and the actions are you know what if you send this stuff we'll turn a blind eye to it because frankly we've got better things to do count our money i think now you you briefly touched on this but i want to kind of get this directly what do you say to the folks who say well there's a simple solution for this shut down your twitter direct messages or your instagram direct messages or your facebook messages don't let people message you when they say that to someone who is facing this abuse what's your response to that why should women have a second-class experience to men or why should gay people or black people and the reaction to this report has been i mean this has been featured in media all over the world the washington post new york times the hill covered it on day one and and you know a lot of the journalists that i talked to said you know me too like i get this all the time and it shouldn't be acceptable that if women want to use these platforms they receive a wall of abuse because the truth is that what it means is that the voices that we've worked hardest over the last decade centuries to actually bring into public life women gay people black people brown people people like myself our voices are are there is a tax being put on on us being able to express our voices and that taxes having to experience abuse and being told being gaslit by companies being told it's your job to clean it up and we won't be there we've put an alarm bell on the system you can report things but guess what we haven't actually connected the alarm bell to an alarm in our headquarters nor will we do anything about it when we see it now if someone uh hears about this report reads this report which we encourage everyone to go to counterhate.com to to read it what can they do to take action what what's a way for folks watching now or listening now to be able to uh say you know what no i'm not okay with this we need to make a difference here well there's there's a petition to be signed on our on our website which has been signed by 26 leading civil rights organizations not just women's organizations but also organizations that campaign on race and on other issues but also look in a couple of weeks time the guy that runs instagram adam masari is being honored at the met gala for the his contribution to i don't know pop popular culture and in reality what he's doing is rolling back women's involvement in popular culture by making sure they have to face a wall of abuse how about when he's being honored we all send him a quick tweet or a quick igdm to say adam is there any chance you could read this report and do something about it yeah that that's uh that's great action to take um briefly i was hoping you could mention some of the other uh research that the center for countering digital hate has done before we say goodbye yeah i mean look we've looked at a number of different harms and i think we're most well known for our work on anti-vaxxers uh the disinformation dozen which uh president biden cited last year when he said that 12 people are 12 killers are spreading 65 percent of the disinformation that's being produced on social media our work looking at anti-semitism and we've gotten an upcoming report on anti-muslim hate but also we've got we've got other work which has looked at other types of harms online and if folks want to have a look if they want to get involved counter hate.com is our website and at ccd8 is our twitter and counter hate is our instagram thank you so much for joining us today imran of course yes head to counterhate.com we'll have links there and you heard the different social media accounts that you can follow uh thank you for your time and uh thank you for what you and the center for countering digital hate are doing we appreciate thatthis is twit i think a lot of people are familiar with have seen have maybe experienced online hate uh in public places right you've seen it in your your comments perhaps or in replies on twitter but one place that folks might not be thinking about online hate is in the direct message area of these social media platforms well the center for countering digital hate has been looking at these sort of off-the-grid places these places that uh the public doesn't necessarily see uh to track and understand not only abuse there but maybe how companies could be doing more to protect folks there joining us today from the center for countering digital hate is the ceo imran ahmed welcome to the show thanks so much yeah happy to have you here so i i think before we get into this specific study what i'd love uh to start out is by you explaining what the center for countering digital hate does as a whole i think people need to hear about uh this center well we were set up uh six years ago in the wake of the uh well the murder of my colleague joe cox mp by a far-right uh domestic terrorist in the uk during the referendum on ever since we've been looking at the ways in which bad actors have weaponized what we've realized the bad platforms to create offline harm in our society and to act as a watchdog for the harms being created and suggest solutions for how we can make things better excellent yeah this um the study that i came across that i wanted to talk to you about uh centers around instagram which we have uh i think all of us have heard a lot about the impact that instagram has on uh young folks in particular uh the the power so to speak of instagram as a whole and it is um something that i think folks may not have been considering is the stuff that takes place in direct messages there so i was hoping you could start uh by talking about the hidden hate research that you folks have done so instagram is a really important platform it's a way in which we establish our brands in which we you know communicate we express ourselves we we maintain relationships we transact commerce uh and in that respect it's been studied quite a lot the amount of sort of open hatred that there is on that platform and the effects that has on people but what we kept hearing we were talking to people was you think it's bad in public just wait till you see my direct messages and we wanted to have a look at well is there a way at scale to look at the the the the quantum of um harms being created in direct messages so how much hate is there we worked with five very prominent women with millions of followers and analyzed 9 000 of their dms over several months and these women range from a magazine uh editor to the hollywood celebrity amber heard um and what we found was that about one in 15 of the messages they got were hateful but the real problem came when we actually started reporting that hate to the platform as though we were the women themselves and we found that only in one in ten instances was any action taken against people who were sending one word misogynist hate graphic sexual imagery or death threats wow so was this that uh in those instances where the action was taken um was instagram responding in direct but how did that uh look whenever the the situation actually worked in that one in ten instance so i mean instagram promised in february 2021 they said that they recognized that dms were an important vector for abuse and that abuse is really impactful because it means that women don't want to go onto the platform they don't want to log on they don't want to see what's in their dms they might be missing out on business opportunities they might be missing out on lovely messages from their friends because they don't want to have a look at what horrible people are saying on there and what we found is that only in one in ten instances did instagram do what they said they would do which is to ban people who are sending i mean death threats explicit sexual imagery which of course shouldn't be allowed like if you break the rules like that that is a kind of red card offense and one of the the notes that you made uh in in the blog post regarding this study is the fact that in some instances you're not even able to make a report on or or ask for action to be taken unless you view the message that the person sends so you are required to expose yourself to whatever it might be uh in order to respond on the platform is this just in your opinion and in looking at this is this just sort of a basic uh failing of instagram and understanding how this digital hate uh takes place i mean if you allow people to and to send unsolicited audio and video messages which can only be you can only assess as to whether or not they're from someone horrible or a friend by playing it well that is a system that's rife for abuse especially because these can come as message requests so not just from someone that you know but from anyone and the problem with that system is that they haven't built in safety by designer how safety would work in a system like that is that you would learn very quickly that they take enforcement action and that the this is really about creating norms of behavior which are which which are in favor of women and not in favor of abusers at the moment the norms that instagram have established by virtue of the action they take rather than their rule then their rule say this stuff is banned but the actions they take talk louder than the words of their rules and the actions are you know what if you send this stuff we'll turn a blind eye to it because frankly we've got better things to do count our money i think now you you briefly touched on this but i want to kind of get this directly what do you say to the folks who say well there's a simple solution for this shut down your twitter direct messages or your instagram direct messages or your facebook messages don't let people message you when they say that to someone who is facing this abuse what's your response to that why should women have a second-class experience to men or why should gay people or black people and the reaction to this report has been i mean this has been featured in media all over the world the washington post new york times the hill covered it on day one and and you know a lot of the journalists that i talked to said you know me too like i get this all the time and it shouldn't be acceptable that if women want to use these platforms they receive a wall of abuse because the truth is that what it means is that the voices that we've worked hardest over the last decade centuries to actually bring into public life women gay people black people brown people people like myself our voices are are there is a tax being put on on us being able to express our voices and that taxes having to experience abuse and being told being gaslit by companies being told it's your job to clean it up and we won't be there we've put an alarm bell on the system you can report things but guess what we haven't actually connected the alarm bell to an alarm in our headquarters nor will we do anything about it when we see it now if someone uh hears about this report reads this report which we encourage everyone to go to counterhate.com to to read it what can they do to take action what what's a way for folks watching now or listening now to be able to uh say you know what no i'm not okay with this we need to make a difference here well there's there's a petition to be signed on our on our website which has been signed by 26 leading civil rights organizations not just women's organizations but also organizations that campaign on race and on other issues but also look in a couple of weeks time the guy that runs instagram adam masari is being honored at the met gala for the his contribution to i don't know pop popular culture and in reality what he's doing is rolling back women's involvement in popular culture by making sure they have to face a wall of abuse how about when he's being honored we all send him a quick tweet or a quick igdm to say adam is there any chance you could read this report and do something about it yeah that that's uh that's great action to take um briefly i was hoping you could mention some of the other uh research that the center for countering digital hate has done before we say goodbye yeah i mean look we've looked at a number of different harms and i think we're most well known for our work on anti-vaxxers uh the disinformation dozen which uh president biden cited last year when he said that 12 people are 12 killers are spreading 65 percent of the disinformation that's being produced on social media our work looking at anti-semitism and we've gotten an upcoming report on anti-muslim hate but also we've got we've got other work which has looked at other types of harms online and if folks want to have a look if they want to get involved counter hate.com is our website and at ccd8 is our twitter and counter hate is our instagram thank you so much for joining us today imran of course yes head to counterhate.com we'll have links there and you heard the different social media accounts that you can follow uh thank you for your time and uh thank you for what you and the center for countering digital hate are doing we appreciate that\n"