Instagram is reportedly working on a Safe Browsing option in its settings, and is also adding a Collaborative Collection feature to its chat.
Both of these features have come to us via screenshots posted by social media researcher and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi. There’s not a lot to discuss about the features since they’re not available across all platforms, leaving details a little sparse. But the screenshots provide just enough context to start a conversation regarding them. The first one that we’ll discuss is the new Safe Browsing option. Instagram’s been attempting to make the platform safer for individuals on the platform, offering different tools to this end. Other than upping the ante on its community guidelines, Instagram’s also offered users a number of censorship options to protect them from hate speech and the like. There’s also been discussion regarding the creation of an “Instagram Kids” platform, although further development on the project was halted back in late 2021. Then again, it’s clear that Meta’s attempting to very publicly push these safety features, and I’m sure that much of this publicity can be traced back to the scathing leaks by whistleblower Frances Haugen.
Safe Browsing apparently allows users to browse Instagram while also getting warnings regarding potentially unsafe sites, so as to prevent users from being exposed to harmful content. Of course, this begs the question “why not ban all such sites altogether?” The answer to that is the provision of a sense of free speech; users may choose to visit sites with potentially adult content or the like (which Instagram restricts and bans with notorious prejudice) and people shouldn’t be stopped from posting such content. Safe Browsing might also include sites that promote hate speech, however, until the feature sees a full release no further comment can be made on its full intentions.
The second feature on our list goes by the name of Collaborative Collection, and it’s built around allowing users to collectively save posts that they’ve sent to each other via chat. Any memorable pictures, funny memes, and all that sort of jazz falls under this umbrella. Collections can be created within the chat, but are apparently limited to the individuals in the chat. If one would like to create a Collection with multiple individuals, they’d have to create a group chat with all of them first.
Read next: The horrible side of Instagram: From blackmailing to Crypto scams, here’s all you need to know
Both of these features have come to us via screenshots posted by social media researcher and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi. There’s not a lot to discuss about the features since they’re not available across all platforms, leaving details a little sparse. But the screenshots provide just enough context to start a conversation regarding them. The first one that we’ll discuss is the new Safe Browsing option. Instagram’s been attempting to make the platform safer for individuals on the platform, offering different tools to this end. Other than upping the ante on its community guidelines, Instagram’s also offered users a number of censorship options to protect them from hate speech and the like. There’s also been discussion regarding the creation of an “Instagram Kids” platform, although further development on the project was halted back in late 2021. Then again, it’s clear that Meta’s attempting to very publicly push these safety features, and I’m sure that much of this publicity can be traced back to the scathing leaks by whistleblower Frances Haugen.
Safe Browsing apparently allows users to browse Instagram while also getting warnings regarding potentially unsafe sites, so as to prevent users from being exposed to harmful content. Of course, this begs the question “why not ban all such sites altogether?” The answer to that is the provision of a sense of free speech; users may choose to visit sites with potentially adult content or the like (which Instagram restricts and bans with notorious prejudice) and people shouldn’t be stopped from posting such content. Safe Browsing might also include sites that promote hate speech, however, until the feature sees a full release no further comment can be made on its full intentions.
The second feature on our list goes by the name of Collaborative Collection, and it’s built around allowing users to collectively save posts that they’ve sent to each other via chat. Any memorable pictures, funny memes, and all that sort of jazz falls under this umbrella. Collections can be created within the chat, but are apparently limited to the individuals in the chat. If one would like to create a Collection with multiple individuals, they’d have to create a group chat with all of them first.
#Instagram is working on Collaborative Collection in chat 👀 pic.twitter.com/26RNiGzMun
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) April 13, 2022
Read next: The horrible side of Instagram: From blackmailing to Crypto scams, here’s all you need to know
