Facebook's News Feed spam filter has been malfunctioning since Tuesday, blocking links to legitimate websites and preventing users from sharing them, including some links that contained information about COVID-19.
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A source informed TechCrunch about the issue, but not all COVID-19 links appear to be affected by the bug.
Facebook said it was aware of the issue and was working to find a solution. By 6:30 p.m., a company executive said it had resolved the issue, but some users said they were still experiencing problems.
“We have restored all 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 it also incorrectly removed many other posts,” Guy Rosen, who oversees Facebook’s safety and integrity work, said in a tweet. He did not say how many posts had been restored.
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The bug highlights some of the technical challenges social media companies face as they step up their efforts to combat misinformation and other content that violates their rules. Many posts about COVID-19 include false claims that it is caused by 5G or that consuming bleach will cure the virus.
Some users who responded to Rosen's tweet reported that other posts, such as cat photos and an article about gaming, were being flagged as spam. It's unclear how many users were affected by the bug.
CBS News reporter Kathryn Watson tweeted that Facebook had flagged a Dallas Morning News article about two students testing positive for COVID-19 as spam. The post was later restored.
Mike Godwin said in a tweet that Facebook also marked a Times of Israel article about the coronavirus as spam. “Facebook has decided that the posting of this Times of Israel article is spam (when it is not),” Godwin wrote on Twitter.
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Facebook is battling the spread of misinformation and harmful content about the pandemic. The social network said in January that it would remove posts about false cures and prevention, as well as content that discourages people from seeking treatment. The company is also blocking hashtags used to spread misinformation about the pandemic on Instagram.
Facebook has also banned ads that mention treatment or preventive measures for the disease.
Information source: cnet.com
