The disappearance of Instagram filters for some users in Texas and Illinois has made the rounds on social media recently, but what’s the cause?
Thousands of angry users have taken to Twitter since yesterday to express their displeasure with Instagram’s decision to ban users in Texas and Illinois from accessing the popular function.
The restriction isn’t a bug or an oversight; it’s something Meta has been forced to do as a result of legislation.
Why did Instagram take away its filters?
For Instagram users in Texas and Illinois, Meta has blocked the ability to apply certain filters as of May 11. According to CBS, Meta’s decision was based on the facial recognition rules of both regions.
According to a complaint filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the sites gathered users’ biometrics without their permission.
“They learn a user’s face and can automatically tag or associate a person with an image, generally without the consent of the user being tagged,” according to the paper.
As a result, any filter that uses “facial geometry,” such as “augmented reality” filters, is incompatible with state lines.
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Filters that merely change the background or image colors, but not the users’ face geometry, are still available.
Texans aren’t happy
Several Instagram users in Texas are dissatisfied with the lack of filters. Many people have expressed their dissatisfaction on Twitter.
One wrote, “This is the one time I dislike living in Texas… why are my filters down #instagram?”
“I know Texas banning most Instagram story filters is such a silly thing to be outraged over, but it’s so annoying that of an lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
“This entire Texas Instagram filter thing is harming my job LMAO,” says the author. Another tweet stated, “There’s a filter I use for the vampire shop that I literally don’t have access to right now.”
What do the filters do?
Instagram filters are overlay effects that enhance your photo.
They can instantly improve the look of your photos. The filters can drastically transform your appearance or make subtle modifications that are barely noticeable.
