Meta, Formerly Known as Facebook, Announces Policy Shift on Political Content Visibility Across Instagram and Threads, Offering User-Controlled Settings

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced a substantial policy adjustment regarding the visibility of political content across its platforms Instagram and Threads. In a statement conveyed by Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, via a Threads post on Friday, it was revealed that the company would cease actively promoting political content to users by default.

Mosseri clarified that although users will still encounter political posts from accounts they follow, the apps will no longer "proactively amplify" such content. This modification, slated to roll out "in the coming weeks," will impact public accounts where Meta's algorithm typically suggests content. Specifically, platforms like Instagram's Reels and Explore, as well as suggested users on Threads, will no longer include political content as part of their proactive recommendations.

"In the coming weeks, we will enhance our methods to refrain from recommending political content on surfaces like Explore, Reels, and Suggested Users across both Instagram and Threads," stated Mosseri.

To accommodate users interested in viewing political content on these platforms, Meta has introduced a new control feature. Users can access this feature by navigating to the Suggested Content tab and selecting Political Content. From there, they can opt for either the 'Don't Limit' or 'Limit' options based on their preferences.

This control functionality will be integrated into Facebook at a later stage, as confirmed by Meta.

Additionally, Meta disclosed that Professional accounts on Instagram will be empowered to monitor their eligibility for content recommendation based on recent political postings. Through the Account Status feature, these users can review and amend recent posts, request a review if they contest Meta's decision, or temporarily abstain from posting political content to regain recommendation eligibility.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced a substantial policy adjustment regarding the visibility of political content across its platforms Instagram and Threads