Facebook groups hit with 'mass suspensions' after Meta technical error
Meta is facing global outrage after a spate of mass bans has swept through Instagram and Facebook, now hitting Facebook Groups hard with scores of users barred from one of the social media platform's key features.
TechCrunch reports that thousands of groups around the world have been suspended, sparking outrage and coordinated efforts on other platforms like Reddit to exchange information.
Meta's spokesperson, Andy Stone, acknowledged the problem, confirming that the tech giant was on the case. "We're aware of a technical error that impacted some Facebook Groups. We're fixing things now," he stated in an email.
The cause behind the widespread bans remains a mystery, but speculation points towards a glitch in AI moderation systems. Affected users have shared that many of the banned groups were unlikely targets for moderation, focusing on harmless topics such as money-saving tips, parenting advice, pet ownership, gaming, Pokémon, and mechanical keyboard aficionados.
Admins of the Facebook Groups have been left baffled by ambiguous warnings citing violations for "terrorism-related" content or nudity, which they vehemently deny ever posting, reports the Express.
The scale of the issue is significant, with both small and large groups affected, some boasting memberships ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands, and even reaching into the millions.
Users caught up in a recent Facebook group ban wave are being advised by their peers to hold off on appealing the suspension, hoping it will be lifted automatically once a bug is fixed.
Reddit's Facebook community (r/facebook) is currently awash with posts from frustrated group admins and members upset over the sudden removal of their groups. Reports are flooding in about entire groups being taken down in one fell swoop, with some users expressing disbelief at the reasons given for the bans, such as a bird photography group with nearly a million followers being flagged for nudity.
Some users insist their groups were diligently moderated against spam, citing examples like a family-friendly Pokémon group with close to 200,000 members that was accused of referencing "dangerous organisations," or an interior design group with millions of members receiving the same charge.
A few Facebook Group admins who have invested in Meta's Verified subscription, which promises priority customer support, have managed to receive assistance. However, others have shared that their groups faced suspension or complete deletion without resolution.
The connection between this issue and the broader pattern of bans affecting individual Meta users remains uncertain, but it appears to be part of a larger problem plaguing social networks.
Alongside Facebook and Instagram, social networks such as Pinterest and Tumblr have also been hit with complaints about mass suspensions in recent weeks. This has led users to suspect that AI-automated moderation efforts are the culprits.
Pinterest at least owned up to its blunder, stating that the mass bans were due to an internal error, but it denied that AI was the problem. Tumblr stated its issues were linked to tests of a new content-filtering system but did not specify whether that system involved AI.
When questioned last week about the Instagram bans, Meta declined to comment. Users are now rallying behind a petition that has already collected more than 12,380 signatures, urging Meta to tackle the issue.
Others, including those whose businesses were impacted, are seeking legal recourse. Meta has yet to reveal what's causing the issue with either individual accounts or groups.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
CoreWeave revenue beats estimates on AI boom but shares fall on bigger loss
Aug 12 (Reuters) - CoreWeave (CRWV.O), opens new tab easily topped quarterly revenue estimates on Tuesday as the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools boosted demand for its cloud services, but a bigger-than-expected net loss sent its shares slumping 10% after the bell. The company currently operates 33 AI data centers across the U.S. and Europe and offers access to backer Nvidia's (NVDA.O), opens new tab chips, which are highly coveted by enterprises to train and run large AI models amid intense competition. CoreWeave reported revenue backlog of $30.1 billion as of end of June, compared with $25.9 billion on March 31. "Demand is humming, but it is the cost of growth that tempered the stock down in aftermarket trading," said Michael Ashley Schulman of Running Point Capital Advisors. Operating expenses jumped to $1.19 billion in the second quarter, from $317.7 million a year earlier. The company posted a net loss of $290.5 million, compared with analysts' average estimate of $190.6 million, according to data compiled by LSEG. "We are scaling rapidly as we look to meet the unprecedented demand for AI," CEO Michael Intrator said in the earnings statement. Investors have also focused on the company's reliance on a few big customers. "The backlog surge to $30B+ suggests demand visibility well beyond 2025, but the concentration in mega-customers like OpenAI means those relationships remain both the crown jewel and the single point of failure," said eMarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman. Meanwhile, CoreWeave executives reiterated the benefits of its $9 billion all-stock deal for crypto miner Core Scientific (CORZ.O), opens new tab. The deal, announced in July, is facing opposition. Core Scientific's largest shareholder, Two Seas Capital, has said it would vote against the sale. CoreWeave reported second-quarter revenue of $1.21 billion, beating estimates of $1.08 billion. The Livingston, New Jersey-based company raised its annual revenue forecast to be between $5.15 billion and $5.35 billion. It had previously projected annual revenue of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion. Shares of the company, which reaffirmed its annual capital expenditure projection, were trading at $133.71. They have gained nearly three-fold since the IPO in March.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Nuclear-powered AI could make Rolls Royce UK's biggest firm, says boss
Rolls-Royce's plan to power artificial intelligence (AI) with its nuclear reactors could make it the UK's most valuable company, its boss has engineering firm has signed deals to provide small modular reactors (SMRs) to the UK and Czech governments to power AI-driven data has boomed in popularity since 2022, but the technology use lots of energy, something which has raised practical and environmental chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic told the BBC it has the "potential" to become the UK's highest-valued company by overtaking the largest firms on the London Stock Exchange thanks to its SMR deals. "There is no private company in the world with the nuclear capability we have. If we are not market leader globally, we did something wrong," he Erginbilgic has overseen a ten-fold increase in Rolls-Royce's share price since taking over in January he has ruled out the idea of Rolls-Royce seeking to list its shares in New York as British chip designer Arm has done and the likes of Shell and AstraZeneca have considered in the search for higher is despite the fact that 50% of its shareholders and customers are US-based."It's not in our plan," said Mr Erginbilgic, a Turkish energy industry veteran. "I don't agree with the idea you can only perform in the US. That's not true and hopefully we have demonstrated that." AI investment Rolls-Royce already supplies the reactors that power dozens of nuclear submarines. Mr Erginbilgic said the company has a massive advantage in the future market of bringing that technology on land in the form of are not only smaller but quicker to build than traditional nuclear plants, with costs likely to come down as units are rolled estimates that the world will need 400 SMRs by 2050. At a cost of up to $3bn (£2.2bn) each, that's another trillion dollar-plus market he wants and expects Rolls-Royce to company has signed a deal to develop six SMRs for the Czech Republic and is developing three for the it remains an unproven technology. Mr Erginbilgic conceded he could not currently point to a working SMR example but said he was confident in its future are also concerns about the demands on water supplies from the data centre and SMR cooling systems. In response, companies including Google, Microsoft and Meta have signed deals to take energy from SMRs in the US when they are available. Next generation aircraft Rolls-Royce sees SMRs as key to its future, but its biggest business is aircraft engines. Already dominant in supplying engines to wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, it plans to break into the next generation of narrow-bodied aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. This market is worth $1.6tn - nine times that of the wide-bodied .Rolls-Royce is a bit player in a market that has powerful and successful leaders, and that rival Pratt and Witney lost $8bn trying and failing to break market is dominated by CFM International – a joint venture between US-based GE Aerospace and French company Safran Aerospace veterans told the BBC that market leaders can and will drop prices to airline customers long enough to see off a new assault on their market Mr Erginbilgic said this is not just the biggest business opportunity for Rolls-Royce. Rather, it is "for industrial strategy... the single biggest opportunity for the UK for economic growth". "No other UK opportunity, I challenge, will match that," he said. Share price up ten-fold Although Rolls-Royce sold its car making business to BMW nearly 30 years ago, the name of the company is still synonymous with British engineering in the early part of this decade that shine had worn off. The company was heavily indebted, its profit margins were non-existent, and thousands of staff were being laid Mr Erginbilgic took over in January 2023, he likened the company to "a burning platform"."Our cost of capital was 12%, our return was 4% so every time we invested we destroyed value," he and a half years later, the company expects to make a profit of over £3bn, its debt levels have fallen and shares have risen over 1,000% - a ten-fold rise. So how did that happen? And is Mr Erginbilgic right to think that Rolls-Royce's roll is only just starting? 'Grudging respect' The timing of his appointment was fortunate according to some industry veterans. Rolls-Royce's biggest business – supplying engines to commercial airlines – has rebounded strongly from the Covid pandemic. The company's most successful product – the Trent series of aircraft engines – are at the sweet spot of profitability as the returns on investment in their development over a decade ago begin to pour into company full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 arguably made it almost inevitable that its defence business would see higher spending from European governments – which has been confirmed by recent announcements. Unions have not always been fans of Mr Erginbilgic's hard-charging approach. In October 2023, one of his first major move was cutting jobs, which drew criticism from Sharon Graham, the boss of the Unite union. "This announcement appears to be about appeasing the markets and its shareholders while ignoring its workers," she said at the overall global headcount has grown from 43,000 to 45,000 since 2023 and union sources say there is "grudging respect" for Mr sources give him one third of the credit for the turnaround around in the company's fortunes, with a third credited to market conditions and a third to his predecessor Warren East for "steadying the ship". So does Mr Erginbilgic really believe that Rolls-Royce can be the UK's most valuable company – overtaking the likes of AstraZeneca, HSBC, and Shell?"We are now number five in the FTSE. I believe the growth potential we created in the company right now, in our existing business and our new businesses, actually yes – we have that potential."Rolls-Royce is undoubtedly a company with the wind at its back – and Tufan Ergenbilgic certainly believes he has set the sails just right.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
CoreWeave beats quarterly revenue estimates on sturdy AI demand
Aug 12 (Reuters) - CoreWeave (CRWV.O), opens new tab beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter revenue on Tuesday, driven by accelerating demand for the Nvidia-backed (NVDA.O), opens new tab AI cloud computing firm's services. The company offers access to data centers and Nvidia chips, which are highly coveted for training and running large AI models amid intense competition. CoreWeave, which currently has 33 AI data centers up and running across the U.S. and Europe, focuses solely on GPU-based operations. Revenue backlog was $30.1 billion as of June 30, the company said. The company reported revenue of $1.21 billion for the second quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.08 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
