General News
15 February, 2025
You’re fired! Social media giant pulls down brigade’s page
META has blocked the official Bridgewater Fire Brigade facebook page, claiming it was impersonating a celebrity. The brigade’s sudden disappearance from social media last Friday triggered appeals to the social media giant from captain Tim...
META has blocked the official Bridgewater Fire Brigade facebook page, claiming it was impersonating a celebrity.
The brigade’s sudden disappearance from social media last Friday triggered appeals to the social media giant from captain Tim Ferguson. But they were met with a swift rejection and “no explanation”.
“Our original page was unfortunately taken down for ‘impersonating a celebrity or business we are not affiliated with‘.” he said. Mr Ferguson said a new page was quickly created to assist the brigade with community safety engagement.
“In country towns, the fire brigade is something of a celebrity but facebook doesn’t seem to agree with community sentiment.”
Pulling down of the brigade’s page comes as Meta’s plans to remove fact-checking services on content posted to its platforms and the Government’s decision to introduce age limits for access to social media that has brought a renewed focus on the importance of regional, rural and local news publishers.
““Country Press Australia is disappointed at Meta’s decision to abandon third-party fact checking on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in the US. Third-party fact checking has not yet been abandoned on Meta platforms in Australia, however the move in the US may be an indication of Meta’s intentions worldwide and is a worrying development regardless,” said president Andrew Schreyer.