Instagram Now Hides “Photoshopped” Images

Instagram has recently rolled out a new feature that flags photos that may be “photoshopped.” This effort is to try to fight against “false information” from spreading on the platform.

San Francisco based photographer, Toby Harriman, was the one that discovered this new feature when he stumbled across an image on his feed. It shows a man standing on rainbow-coloured mountains, posted by MIX Society. The image was flagged and a “false information” warning popped up.

In a Facebook post, he wrote: “Looks like Instagram x Facebook will start tagging false photos/digital art.” The creative continues to write: “Interesting to see this and curious if it’s a bit too far. As much as I do love it to help better associate real vs Photoshop. I also have a huge respect for digital art and don’t want to have to click through barriers to see it.”

Instagram has said that the system uses “a combination of feedback from our community and technology” to identify which photos to pass onto third-party independent fact-checkers. If those fact-checkers determine that a photo is fake, it’s hidden behind a warning message before anyone can view it.

Even though this new feature is intended to combat against misinformation on social media, it may raises issues for digital artists.

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