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Giphy is back on Snapchat after racist GIF caused it to be removed from the app

Giphy is back on Snapchat after racist GIF caused it to be removed from the app

After a brief removal, Snapchat has allowed Giphy to return to to the platform. Giphy was taken off of Snapchat earlier this month after a racist GIF was found on its database

The GIF in question was labelled under 'crime', and displayed a hateful message directed towards people of colour. 

Both Instagram and Snapchat removed Giphy from their apps earlier this month in response, but Instagram allowed Giphy back last week on the basis that the feature will be moderated better.

Giphy provided a statement to Techcrunch shortly after the incident, apologising for the mishap and explaining that a 'bug in the content moderation filters' caused the offensive GIF to appear in the database.

Reel it in

This isn't the first time Snapchat has associated itself with racist content. In 2016 the platform came under fire for featuring an augmented reality filter that made users look more 'Asian'. 

Users took to social media to say that the filter promoted 'yellowface'. That filter was also swiftly removed from the platform. 

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Editor

Danielle Partis is editor of PocketGamer.biz and former editor of InfluencerUpdate.biz. She was named Journalist of the Year at the MCV Women in Games Awards 2019, as well as in the MCV 30 under 30 2020. Prior to Steel Media, she wrote about music and games at Team Rock.