FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent (twitter.com)

Article summary

Facebook Messenger is reportedly censoring certain COVID-related links without notifying the sender, instead claiming the message was sent. This has been observed by some users who are pro-science and pro-vaccine, but still find the practice concerning. The issue has sparked a discussion about censorship and transparency on social media platforms. The censorship appears to be intentional, but the silent nature of it may be a frontend bug.

Main themes

• censorship
• social media transparency
• user freedom
• privacy
• community guidelines
• end-to-end encryption
• disinformation campaigns
• online moderation

What commenters say

• Facebook's censorship of certain links is a violation of user freedom and privacy.
• The company's community guidelines are being used to justify censorship, but some argue this is not a sufficient reason.
• The silent nature of the censorship is particularly problematic, as it deceives users into thinking their messages were sent.
• Some users have reported similar issues with other types of content, such as links to certain websites or discussions about politics.
• The use of end-to-end encryption does not necessarily prevent censorship, as Facebook can still intercept and block messages before they are sent.
• The practice of censorship is not unique to Facebook, as other social media platforms have also been accused of similar behavior.
• Some argue that the solution to bad speech is more speech, but others point out that this approach can be ineffective in the face of coordinated disinformation campaigns.
• Transparent censorship, where users are notified when their content is blocked, is generally considered preferable to silent censorship.