Addressing Moderation Challenges on Pinterest: Pathways to Progress

Ireland’s Media Regulator Warns Pinterest as Islamic State Propaganda Persists

Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, issued a warning to Pinterest in October 2025, directing the platform to implement specific measures against terrorist content. Despite this regulatory action, researchers have found that Islamic State (IS) propaganda continues to circulate widely on the platform more than three months later.

The warning followed the regulator’s decision under the Terrorist Content Online Regulation, which also included similar directives to WhatsApp. Both platforms were given a three-month deadline to report on their countermeasures. However, researchers have documented that Salafi-Jihadi propaganda, particularly official IS institutional content and material from IS-affiliated Ansar Production, remains easily accessible on Pinterest.

During a single day of monitoring, researchers identified 207 pieces of explicit pro-IS propaganda on the platform, including 41 An-Naba infographics, 115 Ansar Production posters, 26 pieces of IS institutional propaganda, 21 frames from official IS videos, and 4 AMAQ News Agency bulletins. Most concerning to researchers was how easily this content could be found using simple search terms.

Pinterest, which describes itself as a “visual discovery engine” with more than 600 million monthly active users, offers features that may inadvertently facilitate the spread of extremist content. The platform’s focus on sharing “Pins” – images or short videos – combined with options for private accounts and private boards creates an environment where users can share content while concealing their identities.

“These main features represent a potentially useful ‘alternative’ platform where extremists can further disseminate the most canonical and recognizable IS propaganda without being deplatformed as easily as on other mainstream social media platforms,” the researchers noted.

IS supporters have long employed what experts call the Multiplatform Communication Paradigm (MCP), spreading their message across multiple platforms simultaneously. Previous research has shown that Pinterest’s recommendation algorithm can help users discover related extremist material, generating millions of monthly views. Researchers have even observed IS supporters on TikTok encouraging others to migrate to Pinterest after facing bans on other platforms.

The research revealed that while most extremist content on Pinterest is in Arabic, making it more difficult for English-language moderation systems to detect, some users openly share IS propaganda on public profiles. At least 40 accounts were identified sharing or reposting IS propaganda during the one-day monitoring period.

Some users have created dedicated boards with explicit labels to collect and organize IS propaganda, making it easier for supporters to find related content. This suggests Pinterest is being used as a “surface repository” where propaganda can be stored and later distributed across other social media platforms.

Pinterest’s Community Guidelines explicitly prohibit content that encourages, praises, promotes, or provides aid to dangerous actors or groups, including extremists and terrorist organizations. However, the platform’s privacy features and apparent limitations in content moderation, particularly for non-English material, have allowed extremist content to persist.

In response to the research findings, a Pinterest spokesperson stated: “The material discussed does not accurately reflect the typical Pinterest experience. The content referenced represents only a small fraction of the billions of Pins on our platform. When we become aware of content that violates our Community Guidelines, we act swiftly to take appropriate action against such content.”

Experts recommend that Pinterest implement automated tools that can detect IS propaganda based on recurring graphic elements and symbolism, and enhance moderation of Arabic-language content, including both shared material and textual Pin descriptions.

The findings highlight the ongoing challenges social media platforms face in combating terrorist content, particularly when dealing with determined groups that adapt their strategies to exploit platform features and evade detection. As regulators increase pressure on tech companies to address these issues, platforms like Pinterest will need to develop more sophisticated and linguistically diverse approaches to content moderation.