Written by Facebook has adopted a new addition to its algorithms that “auto reports” group posts to group admins, giving them the option to allow or delete the post if Facebook deems the post “offensive”. I had reported last week that they had deemed TrigglyPuff’s OKCupid profile offensive, and while the new feature troubled me, I did find it humorous and understandable. Firstly, that woman is repulsive and so the idea of her dating could be quite triggering to decent people, but moreover I can see how Facebook would see the post as a form of harassment.
Today’s revelation was a bit more disturbing. A post to a group I administer was held for moderation by Facebook’s auto reporting feature, but this time it was considerably different. It was an article from LifeSiteNews.com covering a court case out of British Columbia, where the court ordered a father to start treating his 11-year-old daughter as a boy. It contained no photographs, and no personally identifiable information. There was no way it could be deemed harassing or sexually graphic. The only image was a stock photo of a judge’s gavel, and it referred to the litigants by their initials.