--- description: The feature represents the Facebook-owned app's "initial step" in tackling misinformation, a company spokesperson said title: Instagram Will Let Users Flag Posts They Think Are Fake image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1894161debf7de3/698a0181929fadb282bf4c5c/instagram-flag-fake-content.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Instagram Will Enable Users to Flag Posts They Think Are Fake by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2019 5:48 AM CUT  PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 15: In this photo illustration, the logos of the messaging applications, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook are displayed on the screen of an Apple iPhone on March 15, 2019 in Paris, France. Social media Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp have been affected by a global outage for nearly 24 hours on March 14, 2019 cutting virtual worlds to nearly 2.3 billion potential users. Facebook has explained the causes of malfunctions that have disrupted its networks in recent days. This failure is due to the "server configuration change" that has caused cascading problems Facebook is excused for the inconvenience caused to users and companies that are dependent on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp to run their business.(Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 15: In this photo illustration, the logos of the messaging applications, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook are displayed on the screen of an Apple iPhone on March 15, 2019 in Paris, France. Social media Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp have been affected by a global outage for nearly 24 hours on March 14, 2019 cutting virtual worlds to nearly 2.3 billion potential users. Facebook has explained the causes of malfunctions that have disrupted its networks in recent days. This failure is due to the "server configuration change" that has caused cascading problems Facebook is excused for the inconvenience caused to users and companies that are dependent on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp to run their business.(Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)Chesnot—Getty Images by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2019 5:48 AM CUT Instagram users in the U.S. will soon be able to [report content](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-facebook-factcheck/instagram-adds-tool-for-users-to-flag-false-information-idUSKCN1V52AA "undefined") they deem to be fake as the Facebook-owned app joins the fight against online misinformation, Reuters reporte. The new feature, announced Thursday, will allow users of the photo and video-sharing app to flag suspicious posts. Flagged content will no longer show up in Instagram’s “explore” page, and will also be removed from hashtag search results. Stephanie Otway, a Facebook company spokeswoman, said the feature is “an initial step as we work towards a more comprehensive approach to tackling misinformation.” The app has previously made other efforts to [crack down on misinformation](https://time.com/5362183/the-real-fake-news-crisis/ "undefined") — in May, Instagram [introduced](https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2019/instagram-is-reducing-the-reach-of-posts-debunked-by-fact-checkers/ "undefined") image-blocking technology to detect content that had been debunked on Facebook, which then would have its reach similarly limited. Social media sites have become fertile ground for peddling [online misinformation](https://time.com/5512032/whatsapp-india-election-2019/ "undefined"), which has been on the rise and blamed for spreading falsehoods including medical hoaxes and fictitious political content ahead of elections. Instagram’s efforts to fight misinformation lag behind those of Facebook, which has 54 fact-checking partners working in 42 languages and last year [removed](https://time.com/5422546/facebook-removes-800-fake-news-accounts/ "undefined") more than 500 pages spreading false content. A report commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee [found](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-17/instagram-was-bigger-russian-election-tool-than-facebook-report "undefined") that Russian actors received more engagement on Instagram than Facebook around the time of the 2016 elections, suggesting that Instagram was a bigger tool at election time. The report said Instagram is “likely to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis” and could play a crucial role in the 2020 elections. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5653777/instagram-facebook-flag-misinformation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5653777/instagram-facebook-flag-misinformation/"},"headline":"Instagram Will Enable Users to Flag Posts They Think Are Fake","datePublished":"2019-08-16T05:48:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:52:08.558Z","description":"Flagged posts will be removed from the \"explore\" page and hashtag search results","url":"https://time.com/5653777/instagram-facebook-flag-misinformation/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1894161debf7de3/698a0181929fadb282bf4c5c/instagram-flag-fake-content.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Hillary Leung","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/hillary-leung/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1894161debf7de3/698a0181929fadb282bf4c5c/instagram-flag-fake-content.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp : Illustration","caption":"Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp : Illustration","creditText":"Chesnot—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5653777/instagram-facebook-flag-misinformation/","name":"Instagram Will Enable Users to Flag Posts They Think Are Fake"}}]}] ```