AdvertiseMint

The #1 Facebook Advertising Agency. 844-236-4686

  • Home
  • Services
    • Facebook Advertising Agency
    • Advertising Agency for Amazon
    • TikTok Advertising Agency
    • Google Ads Advertising Agency
    • Instagram Advertising Agency
    • Snapchat Advertising Agency
    • LinkedIn Advertising Agency
    • Spotify Advertising Agency
    • Pinterest Advertising Agency
    • YouTube Advertising Agency
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • 844-236-4686
  • Get Started
You are here: Home / Facebook / Do Real People Stop Spam on Facebook?

January 18, 2018

Do Real People Stop Spam on Facebook?

Immediately after posting a link to a group, I received a message from Facebook that made my heart plummet, as the guilty would when enduring a reprimand. “We removed this post because it looks like spam to us. If you did post this and don’t believe it’s spam, you can let us know,” the message said. When I posted the same link to three other groups, I instantly received the same message.

Facebook removes a post it perceived as spam.

In the numerous times I’ve posted the same link to several different Facebook groups in one session, Facebook has never removed my posts. Nonetheless, eager to correct my transgression, I replied by clicking the it’s-not-spam button attached to the message. I then received an automated response that stated Facebook will review my post again.

Soon after its automated response, Facebook sent me another message: it recovered my posts because they weren’t spam after all. This news, although positive, left me perplexed. I wondered why Facebook thought my posts were spam in the first place.

Facebook instantly responds to the message.

According to Facebook Help Center, spam is “contacting people with unwanted content or requests. This includes sending bulk messages, excessively posting links or images to people’s timelines, and sending friend requests to people you don’t know personally.” My transgression may have fallen under excessively posting links to people’s timeliness, although in my case, groups. But how did Facebook know I violated its policy?

Facebook fights spam in two ways. One, it relies on the watchful eyes of users. When you spam timelines and news feeds, someone can report you to Facebook. Once Facebook employees receive that person’s report, they will investigate the case and contact you, keeping the reporter’s name and personal information confidential. Two, according to a Facebook representative, Facebook also uses automated systems to fight spam on its platform.

“We also implement automated systems to stop the spread of certain types of content that very clearly violate our Community Standards. For example, we use automation to recognize and stop spam attacks.”

Users can report a post as spam.

Because it’s too much of a coincidence that different people from four different groups marked my posts as spam the second I published them, and because the messages I received from Facebook were instantaneous, as though they were automated, it’s much more likely Facebook’s automated system saw that I was posting the same links to multiple groups in one sitting, perceived my action as spam, removed my posts, and sent me a warning. But why did Facebook decide to restore my posts?

According to the same Facebook representative, Facebook also employs people who decide whether or not an action did violate Facebook’s Community Standards.

“Of course, a lot of the work we do is very contextual, such as determining whether a particular comment is hateful or bullying. That’s why we have real people looking at those reports and making the decisions.”

It’s likely after I responded to Facebook’s warning message, an employee looked into my case and decided my efforts weren’t spam after all.

In the past, relying on technology alone hasn’t been the best way to combat abuse on its platform. That’s why Facebook has the Community Operations team that resolves issues from spam to cyberbullying to hate speech to terrorist threats and why Facebook promised to hire 3,000 more reviewers last year when several violent videos emerged on its platform. But with a platform servicing billions of users, a platform buzzing with activity 24 hours each day, Facebook needs technology to help employees combat as much abuse on its platform as it can.

Comments

comments

Article by Anne Felicitas / Facebook

About Anne Felicitas

Possessing five years of digital writing experience, Anne Felicitas is the blog editor of AdvertiseMint, a Facebook advertising agency that specializes in Facebook and Instagram ad management. Anne writes content and oversees a team of freelance writers and contributors, ensuring the AdvertiseMint blog regularly produces both short- and long-form content related to social media, marketing, and advertising.

Complete Guide to Facebook Targeting

Download our FREE Facebook guide with over 850 ad targeting options.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Speak with an Advertising Specialist

Want to learn more about what advertising platforms are best for growing your business.

Schedule a FREE call with our experts. 

Ad Targeting Infographics

  • Amazon DSP Ad Targeting
  • Facebook Ad Targeting 
  • Hidden Facebook Ad Targeting
  • LinkedIn Ad Targeting
  • Snapchat Ad Targeting
  • Digital Ad Platform Policies
Hear the Audiobook FREE on Audible

Browse by Platform

  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Snapchat
  • Pinterest
  • Amazon
  • Google

Popular Articles

(Updated 2021) How to View What Your Facebook Profile Looks Like to Others

How to Make Money on TikTok

New Instagram Sorting Feature Shows Who Appears on Your Feed the Most

12 Ways to Become TikTok Famous

Here’s Where Instagram Keeps All the Posts You Liked

How to Hide Your Facebook Post from a Specific Person

Instagram’s Warning Notification Gives At-Risk Accounts a Second Chance

6 Important Marketing Theories and How to Apply Them on Social Media Campaigns

35 Banned and Restricted Products You Can’t Advertise on Facebook

The Best Time to Post on TikTok, According to Data

AdvertiseMint

  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • Definitions
  • Programs
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Phishing Scam
  • Sitemap

NEWSLETTER

Get expert insights and latest news in digital advertising every week

NEWSLETTER

Certifications



advertisemint google partner     

7080 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028       |       844-236-4686

Facebook Advertising | Instagram Advertising | Google Advertising | Amazon Advertising | Pinterest Advertising | Tiktok Advertising
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
© 2021 AdvertiseMint All Rights Reserved.