Instagram has been criticized after users encountered a 'results hidden' message when searching for 'Democrat' or 'Democrats'.

Meta, Instagram's parent company, has acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a technical problem affecting various hashtags, including some related to the Republican party.

The company assured users that it is working diligently to resolve the problem.

The issue arose after President Donald Trump's inauguration, an event attended by Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg, sparking accusations of political bias.

Critics noted that the 'Republican' hashtag remained unaffected, displaying millions of posts, while searches for 'Democrats' or '#Democrat' showed no results.

Furthermore, users searching for 'Republicans' received limited results, unlike the unrestricted returns for 'Republican'.

Meta stated, 'We are aware of an error affecting hashtags across the political spectrum and we are working quickly to resolve it.' However, social media expert Matt Navarra called the situation 'embarrassing' for Instagram, observing that even accidental errors can be viewed as politically motivated in today's environment.

The controversy arises as Meta grows closer to the Republican administration, with Zuckerberg attending Trump's return to office and the company modifying its content moderation policies.

Meta also appointed Joel Kaplan, a former Republican official, as its global affairs chief.

This development has led some to believe that Meta is aligning more closely with Republican views, despite previous criticisms from Trump and his supporters regarding the platform’s censorship of right-wing voices.