Instagram pauses 'recent' search listings
Instagram announced on Thursday (October 29) it was taking measures to prevent the spread of misinformation ahead of next week's U.S. presidential election.
The Facebook-owned platform has temporarily removed the Recent tab from hashtag pages for users in the United States.
In a statement released on Twitter, Instagram explained:
"We're doing this to reduce the real-time spread of potentially harmful content that could pop up around the election."
When searching a hashtag, the image sharing app usually shows the most recent posts regardless of whether the content is relevant or authentic.
Twitter has made a similar move to slow the amplification of such content.
Global users are now encouraged to add their own commentary rather than just share the posts of others, or retweet.
Earlier this month, the social networking site said it would also remove tweets that call for interference in the U.S. election process.
The social media giants are under increased pressure to do more to combat misinformation in preparation for possible unrest after next week's vote.
