Ofcom Investigates Meta Over Instagram’s ‘Instant’ Feature

Ofcom is investigating whether Meta breached its obligations under the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) when it launched Instagram’s ‘Instant’ feature.

What is Instagram’s Instant feature?

Launched in May, the tool allows users to take instant images and share them with close friends. The images disappear once they have been viewed.

Meta introduced Instant on Instagram as a “new way to share photos in the moment”. However, Ofcom said the social media company may not have properly assessed the risks posed by the feature before launching it, as required under the OSA.

Ofcom examines Meta’s risk assessments

Ofcom said its investigation will examine whether Meta breached its online safety obligations by failing to carry out “an appropriate and sufficient illegal content risk assessment and child risk assessment prior to the launch of Instant”.

Under the UK’s online safety rules, platforms including Meta must conduct and update risk assessments to meet a range of obligations, including those relating to illegal content.

Platforms must also demonstrate how they will prevent children who are allowed to use their services from encountering content they believe could harm them.

This includes pornography-related material and content promoting self-harm and suicide, which are classed as “priority key content”, as well as abusive, hateful and bullying content.

Meta says it briefed Ofcom

“We take our regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act seriously,” a Meta spokesperson said.

“We carried out a risk analysis and briefed Ofcom on a number of occasions before releasing this feature,” they said.

“Of course, we will co-operate with Ofcom during this investigation.”

Ofcom warns platforms to assess risks before launch

“Our online safety laws are clear: any material change to a platform must be risk-assessed before it begins,” said Ofcom executive director George Lusty.

“This is an important step for tech companies to take to protect their users,” he added.

“You can’t launch a new car without properly testing it, and the same goes for online services.”