Instagram accidentally advertise on FB with 'I will rape you' post

At a time when Facebook is already struggling over ethical failing of its algorithm and advertisement tools, another algorithm glitch promoting hate speech has happened on the social media platform – this time by its photo-sharing app Instagram.

In an attempt to advertise its service on Facebook, Instagram’s algorithm accidentally post a user’s image which included the text “I will rape you before I kill you, you filthy whore!” with a subject line “Olivia, you fucking bitch!!!!!!” reported The Guardian.

The image used by Instagram to advertise on Facebook was posted by a Guardian reporter, named Olivia Solon, on her Insta handle.

According to the report by the Guardian, Instagram used Solon’s year-old screenshot, which she received as a threat message on her email with a subject: “Olivia, you fucking bitch!!!!!!!!” to advertise the photo-sharing platform to Solon’s sister this week, with the message, “See Olivia Solon’s photo and posts from friends on Instagram”.

In response, an Instagram spokesperson apologised. “We are sorry this happened – it’s not the experience we want someone to have. This notification post was surfaced as part of an effort to encourage engagement on Instagram. Posts are generally received by a small percentage of a person’s Facebook friends,” told Guardian in a statement.