Report: Instagram failed to remove 93% of abusive comments against women politicians

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The Center for Countering Digital Hate reported Wednesday that Instagram failed to act on 93% of the abusive comments, including death and rape threats, targeting U.S. women politicians.

After using Instagram's own reporting tool to report 1,000 abusive comments, no action was taken against 926 of them, according to the CCDH report .

"When our researchers reported 1,000 of the worst of these comments -- sexist and racist abuse, death and rape threats, and rule-breaking offenses -- Instagram allowed 93% to remain on the platform," the CCDH said in a Wednesday statement. "Instagram's failure to uphold and enforce its community guidelines means the platform is failing women and, by extension, our society's desire for equal opportunity and treatment for women."

Both Democratic and Republican women politicians are being targeted with abusive Instagram comments, including Vice President Kamala Harris , now set to be the Democratic nominee for president. In Harris's case, the CCDH said, 92% of abusive comments remained after being reported.

The CCDH said that the hate speech, threats, and gendered abuse are aimed at pushing women out of political life.

The abusive comments included comments like "death to her and her supporters" and "Make rape legal." Racist abusive comments included "we don't want blacks around us no matter who they are."

According to the CCDH, Instagram replied that the comment about Black people "doesn't go against our Community Guidelines."

Instagram failed to remove a post about Harris that said, "You and your entire family deserve to die a horrible death."

A comment against Rep. Greene, R-Ga., Instagram failed to remove also called for "death to her and her supporters."

"In our study we found that the hate in Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene 's comments reflected both the type of abuse we see all women politicians in the sample endure, but also her own incitement of hate against colleagues in Congress," CCDH's statement said.

No action was taken on a post against former House Speaker Pelosi that referenced the hammer attack on her husband Paul Pelosi in their home.

That post said, "Why weren't you home when old hammer head got attacked? It would have been awesome to see your knees in pieces."

A post against Rep. Boebert, R-Colo., allowed to remain on Instagram said, "Personally I wish that blood clot had killed her."

Harris has been targeted by both racist and sexually derogatory comments including racial slurs.

The organization said Instagram must enforce its existing rules against "violent threats and abuse and work with experts in gender-based violence to ensure its current policies align with the lived reality of women and marginalized people in public life."

According to the CCDH, of 560,000 comments on Instagram collected on five Democrat and five Republican female incumbents, over 20,000 were identified as likely to be "toxic" by Google's Perspective AI tool.

The CCDH said in the 2020 U.S. congressional race "it was found that women of color candidates were more likely to receive sexist, racist, and violent abuse online."

In its report the CCDH implored Instagram to transparently enforce its community guidelines against gender-based abuse and violent threats. The report also urged lawmakers to act "to hold social media companies accountable for failing to address abuse."