An illustrated pro-immigrant image was flagged and hidden by Instagram's moderation system despite containing no graphic content. A notice stated the post did not breach Community Standards but might upset some viewers, while other users saw a warning labeling it as potentially graphic or violent. The image was posted by Mazapán Paper Co., which included pro-immigrant captions. The company attributed the flagging to an automated screening process, and Meta confirmed the screen was applied incorrectly and removed. The incident prompted user backlash and accusations that moderation may suppress progressive content.
Instagram users are baffled after an innocuous, strawberry-adorned illustration of the words "immigrants make the country great" was flagged by the social media network and hidden by the platform's moderation tech. "We use technology or a review team to identify content that should be covered," a notice obscuring the post reads. "This post doesn't go against our Community Standards, but may contain images that some people might find upsetting." Other users encountered a "sensitive content" message on the same post. "This photo may contain graphic or violent content," it reads, even though the inoffensive post clearly doesn't.
Austin-based illustrated paper goods company Mazapán Paper Co. originally posted the image on the platform earlier this year. "This is a country of immigrants," the business wrote in the caption. "No one is illegal on stolen land." The company claims an automated post-screening system was to blame - not human intervention. "That screen was incorrectly applied as a result of an automated process and had already been removed," Meta communications specialist Andy Stone tweeted.
Users were taken aback by the flagging, hypothesizing that it was an example of progressive politics being censored. After all, the wording of the image is likely meant to evoke the Trump administration's "Make America Great Again" slogan, albeit with an inverted message. Some called out Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for kowtowing to the Trump administration. "What the f**k, Instagram?" a Bluesky user wrote. "Really glad we let these tech billionaires control all of our communications infrastructure and make the digital architecture racist," a different user complained.
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