Facebook subsidiary Instagram and stumbling competitor Snapchat have both disabled GIF-embedding service Giphy after an extremely racist image began spreading on the platform, TechCrunch reported.
Screenshot: Giphy
According to TechCrunch, the GIF in question read “N***** CRIME DEATH COUNTER”, accompanied by a small graphic of an primate and a game show host shouting “Keep Cranking Bonzo, the Numbers Just Keep on Climbing!” As a result of the animation’s spread on Giphy, both Instagram and Snapchat have chosen to disable integration with the service — just weeks after adding it.
Instagram added Giphy support in late January, while Snapchat did so just weeks later on February 20th.
The GIF in question allegedly showed up while searching for the word “crime”, per Twitter user Lyauna Augmon:
This blatant RACISM @instagram @kevin is unacceptable. When you search ‘crime’ for gifs, a “Nigger crime death counter” appears with a MONKEY cranking it & a white guy telling the “bonzo” to watch the numbers #Instagram #blacklivesmatter @TheAffinityMag REMOVE & APOLOGIZE NOW pic.twitter.com/dOnJFBcHCW
— Lyauna Augmon (@LyaunaAugmon) March 7, 2018
The GIF in question didn’t show up when Gizmodo searched for it on Giphy’s desktop site.
“This type of content has no place on Instagram,” an Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We have stopped our integration with Giphy as they investigate the issue.”
Snapchat told TechCrunch all content on the app is supposed to be “rated PG” and that “As soon as we were made aware, we removed the GIF and have disabled Giphy until we can be sure that this won’t happen again.”
Hate speech is against Giphy’s rules, though apparently it is possible for some prohibited content to slip through. Presumably the functionality could return if Giphy is able to show the incident was a fluke that won’t be repeated.
Giphy has turned into a big business over the years, with a February profile in the New York Times noting that its studio division is trying to break into branded content and wants to make turning up in its offices a rite of passage for celebrities who want to be “GIF-amous.” In practice, this usually involves tired pizza memes. (The same profile noted the company has raised $US150 ($191) million but remains “pre-revenue.”)
Snapchat in particular may have good reason to be wary of the incident: In the past few years it’s gotten in trouble for things like yellowface and blackface filters.