A bit over a week ago I checked in on one of the two Facebook groups that I administer and I found a notification that I had four posts to approve. I thought, “ Well, that’s odd because I don’t require prior approval of posts in either of my groups.” I clicked the link and along with the four posts awaiting my approval I found this message from Facebook:
“We’re sending all posts to you for approval until Jul 24 because many members in your group were previously in groups we’ve taken down, and some members have posted content that goes against our Community Standards. Learn More”
The “Learn More” link brought me to a Facebook page displaying the Facebook Community Standards Updates and Protections with which you are probably familiar.
This occurred in my group which is dedicated to Democratic Party activism. In this group we have had a couple of situations where members shared posts that were ultimately declared to be “False” by the Facebook fact-checkers. Both posts were images with narratives about fairly innocent stuff that you wouldn’t know to be false just by just looking at them. They certainly weren’t anywhere on par with the big lie being pushed by Trump and his supporters. At the time I cautioned the members in question to be more careful in the future and nothing further came of the incidents.
The real surprise came when I received the same message that I also had to preapprove posts in the other group that I administer. This is a general discussion group where the controversial subjects of politics and religion are banned, and I strictly enforce those rules. In that group we have never had a post taken down by Facebook for breaking its community standards, not even close because it contains only fairly tame stuff. Evidently both of my groups, which I believe are well managed, are being punished because some of our members are also members of groups that got in trouble – a perfect example of guilt by association.
Up until now, I have applauded Facebook’s efforts to root out blatant lies, especially those which endanger our democracy. I also understand the need to be even-handed. However, the false equivalency being applied by Facebook in this case is just pure BULLS*T. A post about some obscure Republican politician saying something he didn’t actually say (when what he has said in the past was actually worse) is not equivalent as saying that there was widespread fraud in the presidential election or that it was ANTIFA that stormed the Capital Building.
In addition, forcing me as a group admin to preapprove every post, and making my members wait for me to do so, when there have been no serious problems in my groups is clearly constitutes a complete overreach by Facebook. I can’t control to what other groups my members may also might also belong, and I certainly can’t control what they post elsewhere. I can only deal with the posts in the groups that I administer.
I sympathize with Facebook’s efforts to eliminate on their platform the dangerous lies and conspiracy theories that are being spread on social media every day, but this time they have gone too far!
Cajun (Rick Guilbeau) 7/7/2021