A new report found that the social-media platform Instagram promoted accounts selling antisemitic, racist and extremist merchandise, which reached 1.5 billion views and generated more than $1.3 million in estimated sales.
The 11 accounts identified in the report, conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America, were recommended by the Instagram algorithm.
A near fourfold increase in the number of views on Nazi-themed and racist “hate merch” was also seen after Meta, Instagram’s parent company, decreased content moderation policies earlier this year, the report stated.
“When it comes to spreading hate and antisemitism, we know that social media has played an outsize role, which is why the Jewish community has made addressing this issue a plank of our six-point plan to combat antisemitism,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Federations.
“This report is an important reminder that social-media companies can and should be doing a lot more to enforce their rules and keep our communities safer,” he said.
It also showed that Meta’s rollback of enforcement against hate speech led to the company’s failure to consistently identify offensive content generated by artificial intelligence.
“Instagram helps extremists make money out of antisemitism and racism,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. “By withdrawing critical safeguards, Meta has allowed hate to flourish.”
The report also highlighted leading e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, Wix and Payhip, that hosted the online shops.
“Every time someone buys a shirt from one of these hate merchants, it funds more propaganda, and it stains the reputation of every company that enabled the sale,” Ahmed said.
