Facebook appears to have a bug flagging posts as 'spam'

If you're trying to post a news story on Facebook, the platform might just stop you from doing that—even if the link is to a reputable source.

Facebook users have taken to social platforms to complain about their posts getting flagged. The issue seems to happen with many external links—not just those related to coronavirus coverage, as first reported—with users receiving a message that their posts violate community standards on spam.

The issue is a "bug in an anti-spam system, unrelated t any changes in our content moderator workforce," Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, explained on Twitter. "We're in the process of fixing and bringing all these posts back."

On Monday, Facebook posted an update to its corporate site on how the social platform is handling content moderation.

"With fewer people available for human review we'll continue to prioritize imminent harm and increase our reliance on proactive detection in other areas to remove violating content. We don't expect this to impact people using our platform in any noticeable way," the update read.

YouTube is relying on AI to moderate

Similarly, YouTube warned its creators that video removals may increase during the COVID-19 pandemic—relying mostly on technology, not human moderation, to do the job of removing misinformation.

"If creators think that their content was removed in error, they can appeal the decision and our teams will take a look," YouTube explained. "We'll also be more cautious about what content gets promoted, including livestreams. In some cases, unreviewed content may not be available via search, on the homepage, or in recommendations.

Facebook, along with six other tech companies, also released a joint statement on Monday requesting for others in the industry to help in the fight against misinformation about COVID-19.

"We're helping millions of people stay connected while jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government health care agencies around the world. We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe," the statement read.

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