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INSTAGRAM CRACKS DOWN ON UNORIGINAL CONTENT ACROSS ALL FORMATS

INDUSTRY DESK1 MIN READ
SAT, MAY 23, 2026

■ AI-SUMMARIZED FROM 1 SOURCE ▸ TIMELINE

Instagram is expanding its fight against low-effort content beyond Reels to include photos and carousels. The platform now targets accounts posting unoriginal material like tweet roundups with reduced recommendations.

Meta's latest move broadens its existing restrictions on Reels that regurgitate stolen or copied content. The expansion applies the same penalty system to static posts and carousel formats, limiting their visibility in users' feeds and recommendations. Accounts sharing tweet compilations, screenshot collections, and other derivative content will see diminished reach under the new policy. Instagram has not specified exact thresholds for what constitutes "unoriginal," but the targeting focuses on low-effort reposts rather than legitimate sharing. The change reflects Meta's ongoing effort to combat the proliferation of copied material across its platforms. While the company has publicly committed to reducing reach for reposted and stolen content, enforcement details remain limited. The expansion signals Instagram's prioritization of original content creation. Users who regularly post unique material should see no impact, while accounts built on aggregating external content will face algorithmic penalties across all post types.

■ SOURCES

Techmeme

■ SUMMARY WRITTEN BY AI FROM THE LINKS ABOVE

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