Facebook Proves Maddening Once More

Yet again, Facebook has taken down one of my posts for no rational reason.

I saw the following post on my news feed:

I was attracted to this post because (1) I am interested in railroads, and (2) the fires in Ontario Province, Canada, have been affecting air quality here in Ontario County, New York, U.S.A. I thought it was reasonable to repost this story for the benefit of Facebook friends, particularly those who live in or near Clifton Springs.

I posted the original URL directly from the Trains Web site with the comment:

Smoke from Ontario fires continue to darken skies in Clifton Springs.

Almost immediately—I’m sure no human was involved—I was informed that my post had been deleted because my post “goes against our Community Standards on spam.” In particular, I was told:

The post may use misleading links or content to trick people to visit, or stay on a website.

I was not trying to trick anyone. I immediately challenged the ruling, but I could only check boxes to describe my position. I could not write an actual defense. Facebook provided the following:

Seeking more information, I thought I should see the rule that was supposedly being invoked. I then saw this:

If my post was spam, why wasn’t the original post from Trains spam? I frequently post links to my Web site and blog or to news reports from The New York Times, NPR, or other news organizations. I have no idea why my post was deemed objectionable. I was provided with this unhelpful information:

Facebook later offered this threat after telling me that my post was not being restored:

If you have a high tolerance for bureaucratic self-righteousness, you can read the full (I think) Facebook policy on spam here.

I use Facebook because it’s useful, but, in so many respects, it is maddening. Some features are poorly chosen, and the platform keeps changing how things work, seldom for the better. (The latest general annoyance is the appearance of ads in the middle of even relatively short reels.)

You can read some of my previous complaints about Facebook here.