Dealers stay on Instagram as they push drug seekers to seek treatment – TechCrunch

You do not have to look too hard to find Xanax and Fentanyl resellers posting their phone numbers on Instagram, but at least it starts pushing people toward addiction recovery resources.

Backlash prompted Instagram to block searches for accurate medicine names in April, which did little to solve the problem as vendors moved to unblocked hashtags like "#XanaxLife" and "Oxycontins". Facebook and Instagram could be responsible for the massive increase in deaths from synthetic opioids in 2017, which have exploded from 10,000 to 30,000 deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control.

So, last month, Facebook redirected users who were looking to buy drugs to a "Can we help?" Box explaining that "if you or someone you know is having an opioid problem we would like to help you, as well as information on substance use, prevention and recovery. The box displayed an "Get Help" button that opened the website of the Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration. But I criticized the company for allowing accounts like "Fentanyl Kingpin Kilo" to continue working, even after removing publications from certain pages and profiles for breaking the rules of the drug.

But the problem is that some people looking for drugs on Instagram are actually looking for help. "Blocking hashtags has its drawbacks. In some cases, we remove support communities that help people struggling with opioid or substance abuse, "says Instagram.

Now, Instagram will begin to direct users to treatment options. An Instagram spokesperson tells me, "As part of Instagram's commitment to be the safest and kindest social network, we are launching a new pop-up which will offer users information about free and confidential treatment options. on substance use, prevention and recovery. However, users can choose to "see messages anyway," making interstitials a bit more than a shortcut for those who want to find drugs.

These pop-ups will appear when users search for opioids, prescription drugs or hashtags of illegal drugs, and the company will add more hashtags to the list over time. They will appear in the United States today before launching on a global scale in the coming weeks. Info will also be available to help concerned friends and family of victims. "We have worked closely with the administration of addiction treatment and mental health services, the NCADD and the partnership for drug-free children to provide these resources," Instagram explained.

Instagram will need to be vigilant or resellers can win this game by constantly changing hashtags using alternate names of drugs, spelling mistakes and synonyms, as well as restarting completed accounts. While it is admirable to try to prevent victims from being excluded from the support communities, the relatively unassisted approach may not deter drug users. Instagram should also report users posting drug names and phone numbers as potential resellers. By whitelisting accounts that deliberately share treatment and support, they could aggressively pursue drug traffickers.

"Keeping Instagram safe and open so people can share their lives is extremely important to us. One of the most inspiring things about Instagram is that people can come together to support each other. People around the world use hashtags, commentaries and more to offer support and find communities that understand the issues they may have problems with, "says Karina Newton, Public Policy Manager at Instagram. "The opioid epidemic is a problem that affects millions of people and we want to use our platform to provide resources to those who need it, in the places where they are asking for help. This is an important step for us in our ongoing commitment to making Instagram the safest and safest social network. "

Since Instagram has more than a billion users, is starting to generate a lot of advertising revenue, and it's up to Facebook, there's little reason not to use more content moderation resources. to resolve this problem. It is now late and damage has been done, so Instagram can no longer play it with caution. Otherwise, the opioid crisis could become the latest scandal in society.