Instagram Bug Showed Anti-Biden Hashtags While Hiding Trump Suggestions
A new report reveals that Instagram search queries for Joe Biden show negative related hashtags, while searches for Donald Trump display no suggestions at all. Instagram dismisses the discrepancy as a non-partisan bug and disables the feature platform-wide.
A new report by the Tech Transparency Project reveals that Instagram handles search queries for the two main presidential candidates very differently. When users search for hashtags related to Joe Biden, the app suggests a number of algorithmically generated related tags that often include highly critical phrases like #sleepyjoe and #neverbiden. However, when users perform corresponding searches for Donald Trump hashtags like #trump2020 or #draintheswamp, Instagram completely disables the related hashtag suggestions feature.
After BuzzFeed alerts Instagram to this discrepancy, the company dismisses the uneven treatment as a simple technical bug. Instagram's communications team publicly pushes back against the reporter, arguing that the issue affects tens of thousands of unrelated hashtags like #menshair and #gumdisease. The company insists the glitch is not partisan, noting that searches for #democrats also experience the same lack of suggestions.
In response to the growing scrutiny, Instagram completely disables the related hashtag suggestions feature across the entire platform. While there is no clear evidence that Instagram intentionally favors Trump, this strange search behavior directly contradicts the common narrative that major social media platforms inherently suppress conservative voices. The platform's handling of other political figures like Barack Obama and Ted Cruz shows a similarly disabled suggestion tool, adding further mystery to the algorithm's exact logic.