Facebook’s strange exercise in censorship – as I experienced it.
I am not a great fan of Facebook. Still I maintain both a regular Facebook page and a personal page. My main purpose is to share my own writing and other op-ed or news among friends and sympathizers.
On October 1, I realized that Facebook had removed five weeks earlier – on August 23 – three factual stories I had reposted from World Israel News, a completely professional website specialized in Israel and Israel-related news. The reason, according to Facebook, was either a breach of « community standards » or looking like « spam ».
I questioned Facebook’s decisionq. The people in charge immediately concurred, after what they termed « another look », that the incriminated posts did not go against « community standards » after all, and accordingly allowed them to be restored.
What puzzled me was that the replies to my October 1 request were antidated August 23, something which is clearly impossible. One may conclude that the Facebook management calculates, on the one hand, that most people whose posts or reposts are being suppressed do not notice or do not react, and is prepared, on the other hand, to restore them automatically in the rare occasions where people do notice and react.
This would be an easy way to exert politically motivated censorship against some opinions or some facts without taking the blame.
It is dismaying that sources sympathetic to Israel should be particularly targeted in this context.
See the attached file.
© Michel Gurfinkiel, 2018
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We removed this post because it looks like spam and doesn't follow our Community Standards
CLOSED
ACTIVITY
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image001.png")
Why your post was removed
Aug 23
We removed this post because it looks like spam to us. If you did post this and don't believe it's spam, you can let us know.
https://www.facebook.com/support
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image002.png")
Michel Gurfinkiel shared a link.
WORLDISRAELNEWS.COM
IDF unveils futuristic battle tank
The IDF introduced a new, highly advanced version of the Merkava tank that will improve operational capabilities on the modern battlefield.
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image003.png")
Our reply
Aug 23
Thanks again for letting us know about this post. We took another look and found it doesn't go against our Community Standards, so we've restored your post. We're sorry for the trouble and appreciate you taking the time to get in touch with us so that we could correct this.
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png")
Thanks! Your feedback helps improve Facebook for everyone.
We removed this post because it looks like spam and doesn't follow our Community Standards
CLOSED
ACTIVITY
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image005.png")
Why your post was removed
Aug 23
We removed this post because it looks like spam to us. If you did post this and don't believe it's spam, you can let us know.
https://www.facebook.com/support
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image006.png")
Michel Gurfinkiel shared a link.
WORLDISRAELNEWS.COM
Israel scoffs at Iran's 'new' fighter jet, 'a very old US F-5'
Iran inaugurated what it called a 'new' all-Iranian-made twin-seat fighter jet, which Israel derided as a copy of an outdated F-5 model
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image007.png")
Our reply
Aug 23
Thanks again for letting us know about this post. We took another look and found it doesn't go against our Community Standards, so we've restored your post. We're sorry for the trouble and appreciate you taking the time to get in touch with us so that we could correct this.
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image008.png")
Thanks! Your feedback helps improve Facebook for everyone.
We removed this post because it looks like spam and doesn't follow our Community Standards
CLOSED
ACTIVITY
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image009.png")
Why your post was removed
Aug 23
We removed this post because it looks like spam to us. If you did post this and don't believe it's spam, you can let us know.
https://www.facebook.com/support
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image010.png")
Michel Gurfinkiel shared a link.
WORLDISRAELNEWS.COM
Israel’s Muslim community grows by 2.5%, marrying even younger
The Muslim population grew by 2.5% to 1.562 million, which is 17.8% of Israel's population in 2017.
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image011.png")
Our reply
Aug 23
Thanks again for letting us know about this post. We took another look and found it doesn't go against our Community Standards, so we've restored your post. We're sorry for the trouble and appreciate you taking the time to get in touch with us so that we could correct this.
![""]("file://localhost/Users/michelgurfinkiel/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image012.png")
Thanks! Your feedback helps improve Facebook for everyone.