Meta Blocks Sensitive Words From Keyword Search In Threads

Meta block sensitive words in Threads (photo: Threads)

JAKARTA - The keyword search feature that recently introduced Meta in Threads doesn't appear to work for a few words. Meta reportedly blocks some potentially sensitive words.

First reported by The Washington Post, Meta appears to have blocked potentially sensitive words in Threads, including the word vaccine, COVID-19, coronavirus, covid vaccine, and other sensitive terms such as sex and nude.

The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company also confirmed the truth to the Washington Post, saying it was a temporary measure they were taking.

"The search function temporarily does not provide results for keywords that may display potentially sensitive content," said a spokesman.

In a post on X, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri also oversees that the company is currently trying to learn from past mistakes and be careful when launching searches.

"I hear you, and we are working to support more searches quickly. We try to learn from the last mistake and believe it's better to be careful when we launch a search," Mosseri wrote.

I hear you, and we're working to support more searches quickly. We're trying to learn from last mistakes and believe it's better to bias towards being careful as we roll out search.

— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) September 11, 2023

I hear you, and we're working to support more searches quickly. We're trying to learn from last mistakes and believe it's better to bias towards being careful as we roll out search.

Currently, Threads keyword search features are available in English and Spanish in certain countries including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, India, Mexico, and the US.

Unfortunately, users in Indonesia cannot see this feature yet. So, if you open a search tab in Threads, you can only search for an active Threads user account, not for a specific topic search.

However, the company also said it was trying to bring the search function to languages and other countries in the near future.