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After a wave of mass bans affecting Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> users alike, Meta users are now complaining that Facebook Groups are also being impacted by mass suspensions. According to individual complaints and organized efforts on sites like Reddit<\/a> to share information, the bans have affected thousands of groups both in the U.S. and abroad and have spanned various categories.<\/p>\n When reached for comment, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed the company was aware of the issue and working to correct it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re aware of a technical error that impacted some Facebook Groups. We\u2019re fixing things now,\u201d he told TechCrunch in an emailed statement. <\/p>\n The reason for the mass bans is not yet known, though many suspect that faulty AI-based moderation could be to blame. <\/p>\n Based on information shared by affected users, many of the suspended Facebook groups aren\u2019t the type that would regularly face moderation concerns, as they focus on fairly innocuous content like savings tips or deals, parenting support, groups for dog or cat owners, gaming groups, Pok\u00e9mon groups, groups for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, and more.<\/p>\n Facebook Group admins report receiving vague violation notices related to things like \u201cterrorism-related\u201d content or nudity, which they claim their groups haven\u2019t posted.<\/p>\n While some of the impacted groups are smaller in size, many are large, with tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of users<\/a>. <\/p>\n Those who have organized to share tips about the problem are advising others not to appeal their group\u2019s ban, but rather to wait a few days to see if the suspension is automatically reversed when the bug is fixed.<\/p>\n Currently, Reddit\u2019s Facebook community (r\/facebook) is<\/a> filled<\/a> with<\/a> posts<\/a> from<\/a> group<\/a> admins<\/a> and users who<\/a> are<\/a> angry<\/a> about<\/a> the<\/a> recent<\/a> purge<\/a>. Some report that all the groups they run<\/a> have been removed at once. Some are incredulous about the supposed violations \u2014 like a group for bird photos with just under a million users getting flagged for nudity<\/a>. <\/p>\n Others claim that their groups were already well-moderated against spam \u2014 like a family-friendly Pok\u00e9mon group<\/a> with nearly 200,000 members, which received a violation notice that their title referenced \u201cdangerous organizations,\u201d or an interior design group that served millions<\/a>, which received the same violation.<\/p>\n At least some Facebook Group admins who pay for Meta\u2019s Verified subscription, which includes priority customer support, have been able to get help. Others, however, report that their groups have been suspended or fully deleted. <\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether the problem is related to the recent wave of bans impacting Meta users<\/a> as individuals, but this seems to be a growing problem across social networks.<\/p>\n In addition to Facebook and Instagram, social networks like Pinterest and Tumblr have also faced complaints about mass suspensions in recent weeks, leading users to suspect that AI-automated moderation efforts are to blame. <\/p>\n Pinterest at least admitted to its mistake, saying the mass bans were due to an internal error<\/a>, but it denied that AI was the issue. Tumblr said its issues<\/a> were tied to tests of a new content filtering system but did not clarify whether that system involved AI.<\/p>\n When asked last week about the Instagram bans<\/a>, Meta declined to comment. Users are now circulating a petition<\/a> that has garnered more than 12,380 signatures so far, asking Meta to address the problem. Others<\/a>, including those whose businesses were affected, are pursuing<\/a> legal action.<\/p>\n Meta has still not shared what\u2019s causing the issue with either individual accounts or groups. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n