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Meta has come under fire in recent days from social media users startled to discover they’ve been automatically enrolled in a relatively new setting that reduces “political content” on Instagram and Threads, with the company being accused of censorship amid an important global election year.
“This is not okay,” civil rights attorney Scott Hechinger posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Instagram is now trying to suppress political content just months before the next presidential election. Why is Meta attempting to censor the democratic process?” asked Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
In fact, Meta announced that it was rolling out the setting in a little-noticed February blog post, saying that it wanted to make its platforms “a great experience for everyone” and claiming that it would not filter content from followed accounts but rather would limit its algorithm from “proactively” surfacing political content from unfollowed accounts. The new setting—which users can opt out of—applies to the Feed, Reels, Explore, and Suggested Users parts of Instagram and Threads. This comes as Meta has continued to reduce political content on its Facebook platform since 2021.
Meta has not responded to TIME’s request for comment. Here’s what to know about the political content setting—and how to turn it off if desired.
Why is Meta reducing political content?
“One of the top pieces of feedback we’re hearing from our community right now is that people don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience on our services,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call in January 2021. But the Wall Street Journal reported last year that the company wasn’t just responding to consumer preferences: After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Meta’s leaders were tired of the litany of criticisms leveled at the social media giant—that it amplified misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and partisan…
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