Facebook Wants To Clean Up Its Notoriously Toxic Groups
Just a few months after announcing a new focus on groups, Facebook is introducing tools to crack down on the unsavory content that plagues the members-only pages.
The company was bound to have seen this coming. Facebook’s group pages allow users to build communities around niche interests. But they’ve also been hotbeds of hate and disinformation, with groups promoting dangerous medical hoaxes and encouraging Border Patrol agents to joke about migrant deaths.
Facebook also recommends new groups based on an algorithm, potentially drawing users into more fringe groups. When Facebook pivoted to promote group pages in late April, tech journalists warned the move could worsen the problem. In a Wednesday blog post, the social media giant announced new moderating measures for the groups.