Instagram restores GIFs after GIPHY re-moderates its library
Instagram has reactivated GIPHY integration to bring back GIFs to its Stories after GIPHY claimed to have reviewed and re-moderated its library, ensuring that its content was safe for the Internet. The move comes days after a racial slur slipped through GIPHY's library and forced Instagram and Snapchat to disable the GIFs on their respective apps. Here are the details.
GIPHY takes responsibility for the racial slur incident
"To anyone who was affected: we're sorry. We take full responsibility for this recent event and under no circumstances does GIPHY condone or support this kind of content," GIPHY told TechCrunch. "The content was immediately removed and after investigation a bug was found in our content moderation filters affecting stickers. This bug was immediately fixed and all stickers were re-moderated," it added.
Changes brought in GIPHY's sticker library
After fixing the bug that allowed for the racist GIF to slip in, GIPHY says it has "re-moderated the entire sticker library 4x." GIPHY, the online database for searching and sharing GIFs, has also added "another level of GIPHY moderation before each sticker is approved into" their library, making it a permanent addition to their moderation process.
Instagram restores GIPHY integration
"We've been in close contact with GIPHY throughout this process and we're confident that they have put measures in place to ensure that Instagram users have a good experience" an Instagram spokesperson said.
