Facebook lands in hot water after marking vital wildfire safety warnings as spam: 'It's life-threatening'

Facebook is under heavy scrutiny after flagging emergency updates on extreme weather events posted by volunteer groups, departments, and local organizations as spam.

What's happening?

The Washington Post reported collecting 40 examples of Facebook taking down emergency-related alerts since June. 

It communicated with nearly 20 residents, Facebook users and moderators, and disaster response workers, all of whom had posts containing important information — even if it linked to an official site of federal, state, or local agencies — marked as spam and removed from people's feeds. 

Screenshots the outlet received from volunteer and first responders, news stations, and disaster nonprofits almost always say the same thing: "It looks like you tried to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a misleading way." 

The note says the post goes against community standards on spam and threatens to suspend or ban the account if it violates the policy again. However, users who have their posts deleted are never notified, causing confusion.

Lauri Hutchinson, a former firefighter and current fire safety coordinator who sends wildfire updates through her Lake County Fire Safe Council's Facebook page, was one of several people the Post contacted about Facebook's emergency response blackout. 

"I'm used to jumping in and fighting fires. This is my way to respond, this is how I help and serve people. And all of a sudden it's wiped away," she said, according to the Post, adding that she's had 12 posts flagged by the company.

Why is the blocked content concerning?

Though this isn't the first time Facebook has mislabeled important alerts as spam, it began removing such posts at an alarming rate — during an alarming time. 

This summer has seen deadly heatwaves and historic temperatures sweep through California and much of the Western U.S. 

Since the uptick in disappearing content started, at least 20 fires have occurred, including the Park Fire, as well as Hurricane Debby. 

People rely on Facebook groups and pages to receive critical information about the location and severity of the disaster, road closures, evacuation orders, how to locate missing persons, and resources for food, shelter, and pets.

In some cases, official accounts of fire and sheriff's departments can't post in a timely manner, placing the burden on volunteers to disseminate information to the public.  

"Literally it is one of the only tools that I know some people use," Hutchinson told the Post.

"It's not just frustrating, it's life-threatening," said Angela Oakley, a manager with the American Red Cross. "I've noticed this happening with more and more frequency, especially around disasters. It's unfortunate, as many people rely on social media and networking connections to stay safe during emergencies."

It's an issue that becomes even more concerning when considering that human-caused pollution is driving the extreme heat fueling these fires.

Oregon has already eclipsed its record for the most destructive wildfire season on record. Meanwhile, California has experienced three times more acreage burned through early August than the average over the past five years. 

What's Facebook doing about the blocked content?

Oakley told the Post that she and 10 others have repeatedly contacted Facebook about their banned posts but to no avail.

The platform is "investigating this issue and working quickly to address it," per Facebook spokesperson Erin McPike, adding that it was unaware of the issue until the publication reached out. 

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