Though their blacklist has been known for a few years, Instagram has been on something of a hasthtag purge as of late.
Some of the hashtag bans are self explanatory, like #porn, however recently some have drawn considerable controversy, such as the recent banning of #curvy (though, has since made a comeback). Today, news came that the popular social network’s latest ban is on #EDM, and the reasoning behind it is vague.
In a statement on the matter, Instagram describes its hashtag policy as “We block (i.e. make unsearchable) certain hashtags when they are consistently being used to share images and videos that violate our Community Guidelines“.
In the case of #curvy, the hashtag was used to feature images of a sexual nature, however it is unclear as to whether this is the reason behind the #EDM ban, although depictions of drug use and nudity may play into the decision.
Note: After one day featured on Instagram’s banned hashtag list, #EDM is now searchable once again. Though there has been no official statement from the social network on the reversal, a spokesperson for the original statement had said: “We’re working on a way to more quickly restore certain hashtags that have previously been blocked. We’re also working on ways to better communicate our policies around hashtags.”
Source: Time