As smart as they might be, human beings have repeatedly shown a tendency to make mistakes. Now, while these mistakes do play a big part in our development over time, some of them have also gone on to cause irreparable damage, thus forcing us to conceive a well-defined defensive cover. We will, on our part, find the stated cover once we bring dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. Having an authority within each and every area across the spectrum was a game-changer, considering it wasted no time in compensating for a lot of our shortcomings. However, it all got massively disturbed when technology turned up on the block. Technology and its layered nature would go onto create a dynamic where people suddenly had an unprecedented chance to bend the rules, while having to face no consequences whatsoever for doing so. This naturally undermined everything we achieved under regulatory stewardship, but fortunately enough; the governing forces are now finally looking ready to restore the balance. The stated reality is already doing a lot to keep Big Tech companies from having their way in every possible situation. However, as crazy as it sounds, the same component seems a bit problematic once you place it alongside Meta and Instagram’s latest move.
Meta and Instagram are now officially removing all the posts that might help users in accessing abortion pills. The decision, of course, follows up on recent overturning of Roe. V Wade. As soon as Supreme Court announced its decision, social media platforms saw a flurry of posts offering abortion pills to the users living in states where abortion is now unlawful. Nevertheless, the platforms jumped into action right away. For instance, it was observed that Facebook was removing the said content within seconds. In case the stated enforcement wasn’t enough, the company also went on to suspend a lot of accounts that were behind these posts.
Interestingly, when questioned about it, Meta Spokesperson, Andy Stone took up a broader view and pointed to company’s longstanding policies that prohibit the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs, and pharmaceuticals. As per the experiments done by Motherboard, the Associated Press, several other outlets, however, the platform failed to deliver a similar response for posts related to weed and guns. This, in particular, makes the whole situation a little bit perplexing, considering it’s straight up illegal to mail drugs, while people living in certain states can still order abortion pills via telemedicine consultations.
Instagram, on the other hand, showed a similarly aggressive approach, with many users even encountering “sensitivity screens” on posts that were not really meant to be hidden in the first place.