Facebook is blocking emergency warnings as wildfires roar through West - eviltoast

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During a scorching, relentless wildfire season, Facebook has been flagging and removing dozens of posts containing links and screenshots from Watch Duty, a widely relied-upon wildfire alert app, as well as from federal and state agencies, according to interviews and Facebook conversations with nearly 20 residents, Facebook users and moderators, as well as employees from disaster response organizations. And it’s not happening just to people in Hutchinson’s rural and extremely fire-prone community 135 miles north of San Francisco but to volunteer responders, fire and sheriff departments, news stations and disaster nonprofit workers across California and in other states, according to screenshots.

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    • KingJalopy @lemm.ee
      4·
      2 months ago

      Maybe they’re just trying to clean out the user base that makes it so bad? I mean other than the every single thing about it part.

  • Zier@fedia.io
    351·
    2 months ago

    If you are relying on FB to warn you of imminent danger, you will end up dead. It’s a social media platform. Your phone should be warning you, not StalkerBook.

  • PaupersSerenade@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    23·
    2 months ago

    The Airport Fire is very close to me, and just crested the mountain range to be visible on our side. It’s not a CALFire Incident but thankfully they still update reports and evac zones. Fire.ca.gov is the absolute GOAT.

      • PaupersSerenade@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        12·
        2 months ago

        I appreciate it fellow friendly internet stranger! Luckily I’m on the other side of a lake for this, so not too much worry. Air quality is rough, but I’ve honestly gotten used to it growing up in Cali. Not the first (or likely last) time I’ve had to deal with raining ash. Closest we get to snow in our area haha

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
    81·
    2 months ago

    TBF the warnings are unsolicited automated messages. I don’t think FaceBook should have the authority to filter them but I can certainly understand how it happened.

    • blubfisch@discuss.tchncs.de
      1·
      2 months ago

      In the article it does not seem like automated messages. Rather guess that their fake news detection triggered, because links to these government sites spiked even though the sites were seldom mentioned before.