Saying that it wants to foster a “safer, kinder community,” photo-sharing app Instagram on Thursday introduced a feature to prevent viewers from seeing disturbing or offensive material without the benefit of prior warning.
Some photos will now be blurred and carry a “sensitive content” warning, the social media platform said in a Thursday blog post.
“Instagram hasn’t said when this new feature is rolling out, and a quick review of Instagram hasn’t shown any blurred images yet,” Business Insider reported Thursday. “There’s also no word whether a user can petition to have a photo or video un-blurred after it’s been reported.”
Websites like BuzzFeed have employed a similar feature on articles that contain disturbing photographs, like this recent article about life during Prohibition that contains photographs of slain gang members in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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