Instagram now lets users flag misinformation

Instagram is rolling out a new feature that allows users to flag misinformation.

The Facebook-owned photo sharing platform said in a statement that the tool will be available to all users by the end of August.

"I'm proud that, starting today, people can let us know if they see posts on Instagram they believe may be false," Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said in a tweet. "There's still more to do to stop the spread of misinformation, more to come."

Like other social media platforms, Instagram has been used to spread fake news and misinformation. In May, the platform began blocking hashtags that promote misinformation about the safety of vaccines.

Instagram said that users will now be able to report misinformation by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of every post, hitting buttons to designate it as "inappropriate" and then as "false information."

Flagged posts will be reviewed by fact checkers. Instagram said it would not remove false information, but problematic posts won't be displayed on the platform's search, hashtag or explore pages.

The new tool builds on a move Instagram made in May to use image detection to find content that was already debunked on Facebook.

"We will also use this feedback to train artificial intelligence technology, which will allow us to proactively find and rate misinformation on Instagram without the need for a report," Instagram said in the announcement.

:story: CNN