On Independence Day, Facebook removed a post I shared on 02 February 2024. For the third time in as many weeks, I logged in to Facebook to be greeted with “We’ve removed your content.” Each was a news item related to Donald Trump.
Facebook labeled the first two as “spam.” Today’s claim was that I was “trying to gather sensitive information from others.”
I linked to Democracy Docket, run by Marc Elias, a politically progressive attorney who specializes in U.S. voting rights. The February story focused on voting rights in North Dakota.
When I tried to share the link, Facebook told me the site was blocked.
I am not alone. X is a twitter (could not resist) with reports of removals.
Facebook took down my post of this. Which I posted so my Republican friends and family might start looking into project 2025 I am really alarmed by the media complicity with fascism. @marceelias @DemocracyDocket https://t.co/ixlHZAcPmm
— Fire Rokita (@FireRokita) July 4, 2024
Facebook just removed my link to this story claiming it violated. Community Standards. Why? Because I cited the source that I got it from.
NOT THAT IT WAS UNTRUE
— Harold Franklin (@FranklinHa72469) July 4, 2024
A friend of mine runs a private politics group on Facebook and multiple members are saying that any FB links to @marceelias and @DemocracyDocket are being removed.
Is anyone else having this problem?
— Salome Strangelove (@salstrange) July 4, 2024
@facebook has lost it. They removed a link to an article I posted from Malwaretips. com back in January of this year about a certain scam that was floating around Facebook at the time, claiming the link itself was a scam, which it wasn't.
Anyway, I've contested the removal.
— Albert Sims (@albert71292) July 4, 2024
Facebook notified me today that they removed my post from December with link to @marceelias’s story for @DemocracyDocket. Please explain @andymstone $META pic.twitter.com/mPDkx38kXM
— Nancy Levine Stearns ?? (@nancylevine) July 4, 2024
Facebook has not responded to my contesting the prior two removals, but it did reinstate one of them. Transparency is not their middle name nor is user-centered customer service.
Is it possible that this resulted from a coordinated attack on Democracy Docket, with paid agents reporting posts as spam or security breaches?
If so, this situation is going to get worse, quickly.
Talk to me: BlueSky | Facebook | Mastodon | Twitter
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com