Instagram To Ask US Users For Details Like Race And Ethnicity: What's Going On?

Meta Platforms, Inc.’s META Instagram announced it would start collecting and measuring demographic information, including race and ethnicity, starting Thursday.

The photo and video sharing app reasoned that these details are required to better understand different experiences people may have on the platform. It said it would ask a random assortment of people on its platform in the U.S. to take part in an optional survey where they can provide the information.

There would be a prompt on Instagram in the U.S., asking users about their race and ethnicity. This will take them to a survey by research group YouGov, which will collect individual, de-identified responses, encrypted and split into parts.

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Instagram said it would have access only to aggregated information and can’t connect people or their accounts to their individual responses. The platform is working with Texas Southern University, University of Central Florida, Northeastern University, and Oasis Labs as partner research institutions.

Instagram sought to assure that the data sould neither limit the experiences users have on the platform nor be used in its ad systems.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video message on Twitter the move is to ensure Instagram is as great an experience it can be for individuals and communities. “We are going to make sure that Instagram is fair and equitable,” he said.

Price Action: Meta closed Thursday’s session 5.22% lower at $160.72, according to Benzinga Pro data.