Blocking Portal Comments, SNS Attacked by Malicious Commenters... Instagram Declares "War on Malicious Commenters"

Introduction of 'Pre-warning Function' for Negative Comments Using AI Technology

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Shin Min-a, a former member of the girl group I Love, was rescued by police who responded to a report after she attempted an extreme act earlier this month. She revealed malicious direct messages (DMs) and malicious comments (malicious comments) sent to her on Instagram and pleaded for the malicious comments directed at her to stop. This incident occurred as portal sites blocked malicious comments, causing malicious commenters to move to social networking services (SNS).

As the situation worsened, Instagram took steps to eradicate 'cyberbullying.' Cyberbullying refers to harassing not only celebrities but also ordinary people online by posting malicious comments or sending DMs containing abusive language. On the 15th, Instagram held an online briefing and introduced Instagram features to eradicate cyberbullying. According to Instagram, representative features to prevent cyberbullying include 'comment management,' 'automatic reporting,' and 'automatic comment filtering.'

Introducing a Pre-warning Feature for Negative Comments Using AI Technology

Instagram plans to introduce a 'comment warning' feature within this month that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to notify the commenter before posting a negative comment that the comment may be perceived as offensive by the recipient, helping them cancel the comment or use milder expressions. Instagram currently applies a function based on 'machine learning' that automatically detects and reports posts or malicious content and malicious comments intended for defamation. It also introduced a 'comment filtering' feature that automatically filters malicious comments during live broadcasts.

Instagram users can create their own lists of words or emoticons they do not want to appear in the comment section. They can also manage who can comment on their photos and videos. Options include allowing comments from everyone, only people they follow, or followers. Users can block people who leave malicious comments on their posts from commenting further, and blocked users are not notified of the block. Hate speech, sexually explicit comments, and advertising spam are also hidden. Instagram employs a 'strikeout' model that immediately deletes accounts that post harmful content more than a specified number of times within a certain period. Instagram stated, "We will be able to more strongly crack down on accounts that repeatedly post harmful content and then remove it or accounts that were previously not deactivated because the overall number of posts was large and the proportion of harmful posts was relatively low." Additionally, Instagram plans to support users in preventing cyberbullying in advance by introducing a 'restrict' feature that limits unwanted communication even when users follow other accounts.

Malicious Commenters Move to Facebook and Instagram After Portal Comments Are Blocked

Meanwhile, following the successive deaths of celebrities and athletes who suffered from malicious comments, including singer and actress Sulli (real name Choi Jin-ri) and female professional volleyball player Ko Yu-min, major domestic portals such as Naver, Kakao, and Nate have all suspended comment services on entertainment and sports news. As comment services were blocked on domestic portals, cases of damage caused by malicious comments have been increasing on global SNS such as Facebook and Instagram. Recently, as a documentary program about Sulli aired, the Instagram account of her ex-boyfriend, singer Choiza, has been flooded with numerous malicious comments. Mina, a former member of the idol group AOA, also expressed distress last month by revealing DMs containing abusive language such as "Get lost, XX" from ghost accounts on her Instagram. Influencer Dayoung, who participated in the briefing, said, "It is psychologically difficult when many comments are posted containing slander against family members or false information."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.