Instagram is testing a new feature called Limits that allows users to lock their accounts and limit potential interactions if they feel they are the target of harassment. When introducing the tool, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, referred to the recent Euro 2020 final, in which three black players from the English national team were exposed to a barrage of harassment after England lost to Italy on penalties.
“Racism and hate speech have no place on Instagram,” said Mosseri in a video he shared on Thursday. “Not only is it honestly sucks that people are treated that way, but it also breaks the way Instagram works.”
To curb harassment on the platform, Mosseri said Instagram plans to reduce hate speech to “as close as possible”. Knowing that it will likely be impossible to completely remove all forms of racism from the app, the company also plans to give people new tools that will allow them to “regain some power”. Limits fits here. “We know that people are sometimes in transitory moments of real risk and pain, and we have to give them tools to protect them,” said Mosseri of the feature.
Prior to widespread adoption, Instagram is currently testing limits in select countries around the world. Meanwhile, Mosseri promised that the company would like to cover more in the coming months on how it plans to fight racism on Instagram.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team independently of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.