Facebook apologies for 'error' in blocking Viz magazine's page

9 months ago

Facebook has apologised for blocking Viz magazine’s page on the social network, saying it was done so in “error”.

The adult humour magazine tweeted on Monday to say that Facebook had made the magazine’s page “unpublished”, with representatives from parent company Dennis Publishing saying that no explanation for the removal had been given. The magazine was also warned that an unsuccessful appeal to have the page restored could see it “deleted permanently”.

However, Facebook has now restored the page and apologised for the block.

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: “We want Facebook to be a place where people can express their opinions and challenge ideas, including through satire and comedy. Upon further review we found that the Viz page had been removed in error. We have now restored it and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The initial takedown message suggested that the Viz page had violated Facebook’s terms and community standards, with a dedicated team at the site investigating content that is reported for breaches of these rules, though some automated blocks do also occur. It remains unclear why the Viz page was blocked, though the magazine’s frequent use of strong language and adult humour could have drawn a complaint that led to an intervention.

Viz confirmed they had not received an explanation for the block, but did joke on Twitter that they would not tone down any future content.

It’s good to see they’ve learned their lesson.