We’ve restored all the posts that were incorrectly removed, which included posts on all topics - not just those related to COVID-19. This was an issue with an automated system that removes links to abusive websites, but incorrectly removed a lot of other posts too.
— Guy Rosen (@guyro) March 18, 2020
Source:
https://scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3075768/facebook-says-bug-anti-spam-system-mistook-legitimate-news-stories Big Tech
Facebook says bug in anti-spam system mistook legitimate news stories for content violating rules
- Several users complained on social media that their posts, including those about the novel coronavirus outbreak, were taken down
- All content that was incorrectly removed has since been restored, Facebook’s vice-president of integrity Guy Rosen says
A filter for combating spam on Facebook was beset by a bug that mistakenly miscategorised legitimate news stories and other posts as content that violates its rules. Photo: Reuters
Facebook said a filter for combating spam on the social network was beset by a bug that mistakenly eliminated legitimate news stories and other posts, miscategorising them as content that violates its rules.
Several users complained on social media that their posts, including those about the novel coronavirus outbreak, were taken down and replaced by a notice that read: “This post goes against our community standards on spam.”
In response, Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice-president of integrity, said in a Twitter post that it was a bug in an anti-spam system.
Later he tweeted that all content that was incorrectly removed had been restored, including “posts on all topics – not just those related to Covid-19”.
“This was an issue with an automated system that removes links to abusive websites, but incorrectly removed a lot of other posts too,” Rosen added.
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