Facebook and Instagram owner Meta faces fresh backlash after a technical glitch on Instagram apparently restricted searches related to Democrats following Donald Trump's inauguration. Observers claim the timing undermines Meta's neutrality, while the company insists it is scrambling to correct the error.
In spite of the fact that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the wealthy company Meta, has been known to criticize Donald Trump in the past, he made a significant effort to communicate with him following the election of 2024.
A meeting between Zuckerberg and Trump took place at Mar-a-Lago. Additionally, Zuckerberg made a contribution to the inauguration fund for President Trump and attended his inauguration on January 20.
In addition, Zuckerberg is facing criticism for removing the fact-checkers that were previously utilized on Facebook.
The BBC reported the day after the inauguration that Democrats were experiencing what looked to be a technical fault on Instagram, which Meta controls together with Facebook. The glitch appeared to be affecting those who were using Instagram.
According to Tom Gerken, a technology writer for the BBC, Meta has indicated that it is working immediately to fix a problem with Instagram that causes users to see a popup that says "results suppressed" when they search for the terms "Democrat" or "Democrats."
The issue has been occurring since President Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, which was attended by Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg, according to Gerken, who also mentions that some users of social media have accused the firm of having a political bent.
It was "embarrassing" for Meta, according to social media specialist Matt Navarra, who told the BBC that even if Instagram was undoubtedly experiencing a technical malfunction, it was nonetheless embarrassing for Meta.
Navarra made the observation that in an environment that is extremely politicized, even mistakes that were not intended, such as this one, might grow into allegations of partisanship. These problems run the risk of giving rise to conspiracy theories and causing damage to Meta's reputation if they are not remedied as swiftly as possible, The Raw Story shares.
In an official statement, a representative from Meta informed the BBC that they are aware of an error that is affecting hashtags across the political spectrum and that they are working extremely swiftly to address the issue.
Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States on Monday, declaring the golden age of America to begin in his second inaugural address and seizing control of the executive branch.
During his 30-minute Capitol Rotunda speech, the new president promised to grow the nation and regain global respect. He appointed dozens of people and promptly had them appointed to positions all over the federal government.
Later that day, Trump signed the first of dozens of expected executive actions rolling back Democratic immigration, energy, trade, diversity, and other policies at an indoor presidential parade in Washington.
