Facebook says a “spam detection” glitch is to blame for shutting down dozens of popular Catholic websites this week without explanation.
A Portuguese Facebook page for Pope Francis with 3.7 million fans and Relevant Radio’s 3.9 million “Father Rocky” listeners were blocked without warning. The social media giant responded Wednesday with a brief statement as news spread around the globe.
“The pages were restored,” Facebook said in a statement to ACI Prensa. “The incident was accidentally caused by a spam detection mechanism on the platform. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
American news outlets to pick up the story included Chicago’s WGN and the conservative website Hot Air.
“Had only one or two pages gotten suspended, it might be easier to chalk it up as a technical issue combined with coincidence,” wrote Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey on Wednesday. “The number of pages impacted, plus their significant readership and the common topic of Catholicism, seems to suggest a more purposeful action, either inside or outside Facebook.”
Father Francis J. Hoffman, aka “Father Rocky,” the executive director of Relevant Radio, told WGN that the experience was “mysterious.”
“My page is known mostly for broadcasting the Mass live,” he told the network on Wednesday. “We’ve tapped into this facility about a year and a half ago. […] I think my page is pretty tame.”
The priest told listeners on the radio station’s website that moderators received a “single notification that the Father Rocky page had been unpublished, with no other details or explanation,” on July 17.
The page was restored roughly 24 hours later.
“This serves as a wake-up call and we urge all Relevant Radio listeners and Facebook followers to download the free Relevant Radio App as a secure and reliable resource for the daily Mass and inspirational programs,” the radio station said in press release on Wednesday.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this piece said Catholic News Agency’s Mary Rezac had a Facebook page blocked. She reported on the story, but did not have a page blocked.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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