Online hate speech is a challenge on all online platforms. It breeds bullying, harassment and has led young people into echo chambers that incite mental and physical violence … read moreand hate. Instagram, however, has long been able to go under the radar. The platform has 1 billion monthly active users and the biggest share of young users between 18 and 24 years of age (30%), more than Facebook and YouTube. Calling Instagram to act against growing online hate speech. To address the problem, NVPF has taken an unusual approach. The concept was developed by NORD DDB. The NGO discovered that while Instagram doesn’t automatically ban hate-spreading accounts, the algorithm does punish accounts who buy fake followers. In its new initiative, NVPF is buying fake followers to targeted hate accounts, with the aim of triggering the algorithm to shadow-ban and ultimately shut these accounts down. By doing this, NVPF wants to draw attention from the public, regulators, and above all, call Instagram to act against growing online hate speech. In connection with the initiative, NVPF has sent out an open letter to Instagram. The initiative is ongoing, and anyone can donate to buy fake followers to hate accounts on the campaign site. To grab Instagram’s attention, NVPF also placed out an outdoor billboard with the open letter outside Meta’s office in Menlo Park, USA.
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