| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of mislabeling posts as sensitive content has happened again at one_organization. Instagram, owned by Meta, experienced a bug that erroneously labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content, frustrating users. The incident raised questions about Instagram's content moderation decisions and whether the service is properly enforcing its rules [129272].
(b) The software failure incident of mislabeling posts as sensitive content has also happened at multiple_organization. In addition to posts about abortion rights being mistakenly flagged, Instagram also mistakenly marked a post about guns as sensitive content. This indicates that the bug impacted content other than just posts related to abortion rights [129272]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where Instagram inadvertently labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content due to a bug in their system. The company acknowledged that the problem was caused by a bug in their system that erroneously flagged content as sensitive, including posts by Planned Parenthood and other users discussing abortion rights [129272].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the same article where Instagram users mentioned that they faced challenges in contacting the platform when their posts were mislabeled. Users found it difficult to remove the screen placed over their content and were unsure of how to alert Instagram about the errors. This lack of transparency and difficulty in communication with the platform contributed to the operational failure experienced by users [129272]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the mislabeling of posts about abortion rights on Instagram can be categorized as both within_system and outside_system.
(a) within_system: The incident was caused by a bug within Instagram's system that led to posts about abortion rights being mistakenly labeled as sensitive content. Instagram acknowledged the issue and stated that the bug has been fixed [129272].
(b) outside_system: The incident was also influenced by external factors such as the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion rights, which led to a surge in content related to the topic on Instagram. The influx of content may have overwhelmed Instagram's moderation system, contributing to the mislabeling of posts [129272]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- Instagram inadvertently labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content due to a bug in the system, which the company acknowledged and claimed to have fixed [129272].
- The bug impacted content other than posts about abortion rights, as Instagram mistakenly marked a post about guns as sensitive as well [129272].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- Users reported frustration with Instagram's content moderation decisions around abortion rights, suggesting that the social network may be suppressing certain content based on its algorithm [129272].
- Instagram users expressed difficulty in contacting the platform when their posts were mislabeled, indicating a lack of transparency and communication from the company regarding such issues [129272]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The articles do not mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident. Therefore, there is no information available regarding hardware-related factors causing the incident.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident on Instagram was attributed to a bug in the system. Instagram inadvertently labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content due to this bug. The company acknowledged the issue and stated that the bug had been fixed [129272]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is non-malicious. The incident was attributed to a bug in Instagram's algorithm that erroneously labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content [129272]. The company acknowledged the issue and stated that the bug has been fixed. There is no indication in the articles that the failure was due to malicious intent or actions. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions is evident in the Instagram incident where posts about abortion rights were inadvertently labeled as sensitive content. This mislabeling frustrated users and raised questions about Instagram's content moderation decisions [129272]. The company acknowledged the issue was caused by a bug, indicating that poor decisions in the software development or moderation process led to this failure. Additionally, the lack of transparency and communication from Instagram when posts were mislabeled further highlights potential poor decisions in handling such incidents. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Instagram inadvertently labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content due to a bug. This incident frustrated users and raised questions about Instagram's content moderation decisions [129272].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the article when Instagram mistakenly marked a post about guns as sensitive, in addition to erroneously flagging content related to abortion rights. These accidental actions by Instagram's algorithm led to content being incorrectly labeled as sensitive, causing confusion and frustration among users [129272]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles appears to be temporary. The incident was attributed to a bug in Instagram's algorithm that erroneously labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content. Instagram acknowledged the issue and stated that the bug had been fixed [129272]. Additionally, Instagram users mentioned that the sensitive content labels placed on their posts were later removed, indicating a temporary nature of the failure [129272]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The incident reported in the articles does not specifically mention a system crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [129272].
(b) omission: The incident does not describe a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [129272].
(c) timing: The articles do not mention a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early [129272].
(d) value: The software failure incident in the articles is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Specifically, Instagram erroneously labeled posts about abortion rights as sensitive content, frustrating users of the platform. This incorrect labeling was attributed to a bug that has since been fixed [129272].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [129272].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case is related to content moderation mistakes by Instagram, where posts about abortion rights were mistakenly labeled as sensitive due to a bug in the system. This led to frustration among users and raised questions about the platform's enforcement of its rules [129272]. |