- Instagram Hides Search Results for ‘Democrats’
- #Republican shows 3.3 million posts
- Meta says the issue is due to a technical error
Instagram hides search results for ‘Democrats,’ Meta responds
Instagram users have reported seeing “results hidden” messages when searching for terms like “Democrat” or “Democrats.” Meta, Instagram’s parent company, acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a technical error affecting other hashtags, including a Republican-related one.
The glitch sparked accusations of political bias, especially given its timing following President Donald Trump’s recent inauguration, which Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg attended. Meta denies any partisan intent and emphasises that it works urgently to resolve the problem.
Social media expert Matt Navarra called the issue “embarrassing” for Instagram, warning that such errors could fuel conspiracy theories and harm Meta’s reputation in a highly polarised environment. While “#Republican” shows 3.3 million posts, searches for “#Democrat” or even “Democrats” return limited or no results. Meta says it aims to fix the problem quickly.