A recent investigation by The New York Times, authored by Michael Keller and Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, has uncovered disturbing flaws in Instagram's advertising algorithms, revealing that ads targeting young girls are being inadvertently shown to adult men, including convicted sex offenders. The investigation involved a test ad for children's jewelry featuring a 5-year-old girl, which attracted inappropriate solicitations from these unintended audiences. This issue highlights significant concerns regarding child safety and the effectiveness of Instagram's algorithm in appropriately targeting ads.
An Instagram ad for children's jewelry featuring a 5-year-old girl was inadvertently shown to adult men, including convicted s*x offenders, who then sent inappropriate messages. This incident highlights flaws in Instagram's ad algorithms, which directed the ads to unintended… https://t.co/3JMd69j593
An Instagram ad for children's jewelry featuring a 5-year-old girl was inadvertently shown to adult men, including convicted sex offenders, who then sent inappropriate messages. This incident highlights flaws in Instagram's ad algorithms, which directed the ads to unintended… https://t.co/RMKIHKJz0S
New article from the U.S. 2020 Facebook & Instagram Election Study in @PNASNews (academic team led by @HuntAllcott & Gentzkow): Deactivation of FB/IG for 6 weeks before the 2020 election reduced online participation but otherwise had mostly null effects https://t.co/bZUxVYn9S7 https://t.co/6Zq68o11wm
Retailers of products for young girls say their Instagram ads go to adult men. The New York Times ran a test ad and drew attention from convicted sex offenders and other men whose accounts indicated a sexual interest in children. https://t.co/Roz3S7WgdU https://t.co/iKhMZwITfc
super interesting and worrying piece by @mhkeller and @jenvalentino on IG ad delivery systems https://t.co/Rvj6eZ4ypy https://t.co/XYuYF3IQ68 https://t.co/r32fqBfR2Z
🔴On Instagram, a Jewelry Ad Draws Solicitations for Sex With a 5-Year-Old. In this damning investigation, @nytimes @mhkeller and Jennifer Valentino-DeVries report on how the platform’s algorithms play an important role in directing men to photos of kids https://t.co/flzW4ldbXx
Our latest piece on Instagram and child safety: Advertisers of merchandise for young girls find that adult men can become their unintended audience. In a test ad, convicted sex offenders inquired about a child model. https://t.co/YbTXFdV6jG
"One man, who is on parole after spending 46 years in prison in California for murdering his wife, said he was surprised to come across a 5-year-old girl in his feed.." - very disturbing story on Instagram's algorithms by @mhkeller @jenvalentino https://t.co/zO9xyBzKQE