Facebook algorithm error, many groups simultaneously 'disappear'

On the afternoon of June 24, domestic social network users were surprised when they could not access many Facebook groups such as OFFB (1.5 million members), Showbiz Secrets (1.2 million).... The incident was recorded in many groups in different fields, from buying and selling, entertainment to professional communities.

Many groups suddenly "disappeared" on the afternoon of the 24th, causing confusion in the community.

Many hypotheses have been put forward for the collective disappearance of these groups, including the admin selling the group, Facebook changing its algorithm, violating copyright and community standards.

On the morning of June 25, a Meta spokesperson said: "We are aware of a technical issue affecting some groups on Facebook. We are currently working to fix this error."

The suspended pages not only make it difficult for administrators to manage the pages, but also make it difficult for users to recognize which fanpage they are following because many of the "disappeared" pages have been renamed to "Group title pending", meaning they are in a state of waiting for a group name.

On the Reddit forum, Facebook group administrators claim to always comply with Meta's regulations and regularly censor "sensitive" content. Many people say their groups only focus on "harmless" content such as saving tips, parenting support, love of pets, gaming, passion for mechanical keyboards...

A Facebook group with 1.5 million members was reported to have become active again on the morning of June 25. Photo: Tue Minh

Some have even paid for the Meta Verified identity authentication package that comes with priority customer support, but still get suspended or removed completely.

This morning, some fanpages have been restored but many pages are still waiting for names. Many members expressed their emotions of "both crying and laughing" when accessing their familiar fanpages.

In 2022, a series of Facebook accounts were also locked and could not be appealed. The social network's spokesperson at that time also admitted that the cause was a technical error. Over the years, many people have reported that fanpages and groups were suddenly locked in batches for unknown reasons. Some later appealed successfully and became active again. Meta usually does not give a reason for this.

In early June, social networks like Pinterest and Tumblr were also criticized for mass account suspensions. Some suspected that the application of automated moderation using AI caused the problem. Pinterest explained the problem as an "internal error", while Tumblr said the cause was due to testing a new content filtering system, unrelated to AI.