URGENT: Please Read if You Have an Instagram
These might be the last few days I’ll be active on Instagram for a while. But I need to get the word out there because it's an urgent matter. Instagram clearly doesn't care to hold themselves accountable for their actions, so I'm calling them out. Over the years I've been on Instagram, I have never in my life seen a "Help/Support" system so negligent and USELESS. Instagram might as well not even have a "report" feature, because they will do absolutely NOTHING if you report an account or a post that violates their rules. "Block and ignore", they'll tell you. Sure, but that ISN'T going to stop the cyberbullying, the death threats, the acts of violence, the distributors of literal child pornography. Which leads to my next point; Instagram DOES NOT CARE if you report an account that posts videos/photos where children are being ABUSED, in every sense of the word. There's Dark Web-type shit I've seen on some people's accounts, but when I report it Instagram responds by taking NO ACTION whatsoever.
Just a couple of nights ago, I ran into an account with the most OBSCENELY inappropriate photos of children I had ever seen. It was so bad, I vomited before reporting the account to IG. They are now giving the excuse that "they can't prioritize dealing with certain reported accounts right now bc of COVID-19". First off, COVID-19's been around for a few months, meanwhile this issue you guys have had where people use YOUR PLATFORM to distribute child porn has been a problem for YEARS. This isn't just a priority, this is an EMERGENCY. So don't give me that bs excuse now! In the end, I had to send a report to the FBI via their Cyber Tipline. It is still ongoing, and I have no idea if the account in question is gone yet. But I'm not gonna look either.
I will provide a link to a petition and people there have talked about their own experiences reporting accounts that were distributing child porn and IG doing nothing about it. This petition is going around in hopes that enough people pay attention for IG to FINALLY get their asses moving. COVID-19 or not, Instagram has ALWAYS been negligent in keeping children safe.
Petition: http://chng.it/kXcDJ49RNT
Something else I would like to add: If you ever witness a photo or a video of a child being abused, please do not hesitate to make a report to the FBI via their Cyber Tipline: https://report.cybertip.org/
Be sure to have as much info as possible, including the suspect's username and the URL to the photo or profile. You do not need to put your name or other personal info on these reports. If you or someone you know is being cyberbullied, visit stopbullying.gov to see what's the best course of action to take. Don't waste your time reporting to Instagram anymore.
