A new analysis of Instagram posts involving hate crimes in India claims that Meta’s widely used social networking platform has become a hub to promote, glorify and in some ways, reward violence.
The report, published by the Washington based think-tank Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), details how the platform amplifies and promotes violent and hateful content, allowing accounts that post hate crimes to fundraise on Instagram in violation of Meta’s content policies. These attackers, self-styled as “cow vigilantes,” target people transporting cattle, claiming they are protecting the animals considered sacred by many Hindus. Often, these victims are Muslim, India’s largest religious minority. Close to a third of the more than 1,000 Instagram accounts researchers tracked over six months posted videos of brutal physical assaults.
“For years, Instagram has served as a safe haven for militant cow vigilante groups and individuals to share extremist content, glorifying and encouraging violence in complete violation of the platform’s content policies. This report reveals a terrifying new reality faced by Muslim minorities in India, whose lives and livelihoods are continuously under threat as Meta enables these groups to thrive on its platforms,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, the executive director of CSOH.
A Meta spokesperson told PBS News that “we have strict policies against violent or graphic content on our platforms, and we enforce these rules impartially. We will review this report once we are provided it, and will remove any violating content and disable accounts of repeated offenders.”