Instagram CEO Vows to “Support the Black Community” With Better Practices

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Instagram CEO Vows to “Support the Black Community” With Better Practices

As the world fights for justice for the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Rashard Brooks, Breonna Taylor, and countless other black lives lost at the hand of racism and hatred, many companies are taking a stance to show that #BlackLives Matter to them.

In a public statement headed “Ensuring Black Voices are Heard,”  Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri shared a plan for the platform that plans to take “a harder look at how our product impacts communities differently” as they aim “to better support the Black community within our own organization, as well as on our platform.”

“In the last few weeks we’ve seen an incredible movement happening around the world. As these important conversations have come to our platform, we’ve seen communities on Instagram mobilizing to demand justice and express solidarity, support Black-owned businesses, elevate Black voices, and raise awareness for the equality of Black people everywhere.”

“At the same time, we’re also hearing concern about whether we suppress Black voices and whether our products and policies treat everyone equally. The irony that we’re a platform that stands for elevating Black voices, but at the same time Black people are often harassed, afraid of being ‘shadowbanned,’ and disagree with many content takedowns, is not lost on me. This is a moment when people around the world are rightfully demanding actions over words, and we owe the same to our community.”

Instagram will target four areas; Harassment, Account verification, Content distribution, and Algorithmic bias while working to better support underrepresented groups.

“Our goal is that Instagram is a place where everyone feels safe, supported, and free to express themselves, and I’m hoping this work will get us closer to that goal,” Mosseri added.

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