Facebook and Instagram remove abusive comments directed at Lizzo

19 August 2021, 16:04

Lizzo
Brit Awards 2020 – Press Room – London. Picture: PA

The pop star said abuse directed at her had left her feeling ‘so down’.

Facebook and Instagram have removed a number of hateful comments from the social media accounts of singer Lizzo.

The move comes in response to the US star revealing she has been the subject of abuse online which she described as “hurtful”, “racist” and “fatphobic”.

Speaking during an Instagram Live earlier this week, Lizzo said she had been targeted following the release of her latest single, Rumours, a collaboration with rapper Cardi B.

Facebook confirmed it had removed several comments that broke the firm’s rules on hate speech and harassment, and that it would continue to review reports and take action accordingly.

Brit Awards 2020 – Show – London
Lizzo performs on stage at the Brit Awards 2020 at the O2 Arena (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Lizzo said the incident had left her feeling “so down”.

“Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back. It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still gonna have people who have something mean to say about you,” she said in the now-deleted video.

The incident comes just a week after Instagram announced the introduction of tools designed to allow users to restrict comments and direct message requests when users are experiencing periods of increased attention, and hide interactions from accounts that do not follow the user or have only recently started to.

The feature, called Limits, has been specifically designed to help users reduce the amount of online abuse they encounter.

It follows the racist abuse directed at several black England footballers following the Euro 2020 final. Lizzo highlighted abuse directed at her based on her race and appearance as some of the most hurtful.

“What I won’t accept is y’all doing this to black women over and over and over again, especially us big black girls,” she said.

“When we don’t fit into the box that you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred on to us. It’s not cool.”

When asked in a TV interview on Good Morning America on Wednesday why she chose to continue using social media when she received such abuse, the pop star said it was an important tool in preventing herself and others from being marginalised.

“Black women have been in this industry and innovating it forever. It is unfortunate that we are the ones who do suffer from the marginalisation the most,” she said.

“I feel like if it weren’t for the internet and social media, I could’ve been erased. I chose to be undeniable and I chose to be loud and I chose to be great. And I’m still here. It’s difficult.”

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

A person holds an iphone showing the app for Google chrome search engine

Apple and Google ‘should face investigation over mobile browser duopoly’

A Google icon on a smartphone

Firms can use AI to help offset Budget tax hikes, says Google UK boss

Icons of social media apps, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, are displayed on a mobile phone screen

Growing social media app vows to shake up ‘toxic’ status quo

Will Guyatt questions who is responsible for the safety of children online

Are Zuckerberg and Musk responsible for looking after my kids online?

Social media apps on a phone

U16s social media ban punishes children for tech firm failures, charities say

Google shown on a smartphone

US Government proposes forcing Google to sell Chrome to break-up tech empire

The logo for Google's Gemini AI assistant

Google’s Gemini AI gets dedicated iPhone app in the UK for the first time

Facebook stock

EU fines Meta £660m for competition rule breaches over Facebook Marketplace

A phone taking a photo of a phone mast

Government pledges more digital inclusion as rural Wales gets phone mast boost

Social media apps displayed on a mobile phone screen

What is Bluesky and why are people leaving X to sign up?

Someone types at a keyboard

Cyber security chief warns Black Friday shoppers to be alert to scams

MPs

Ministers pressed on excluding Chinese firms from UK’s genomics sector

Child with mobile phone stock

Specially designed smartphone for children launches in the UK

Roblox on a laptop

Children’s gaming platform Roblox makes ‘major update’ to parental controls

An offshore wind farm

Government launches competition to find AI solutions to boost UK clean energy

A Google logo on the screen of a mobile phone

Google partnership with Anthropic AI cleared by competition watchdog