Facebook has issued an apology to the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) after blocking people from accessing the peace organisation’s website from its platform.
The Ferret reported last week that Scottish CND was considering a complaint to Ofcom because people trying to access its website from its Facebook page were advised the URL breached “community standards”.
Facebook has now resolved the issue but Scottish CND criticised the social media giant for failing to explain why its site was blocked in the first place.
The peace group thinks it may have been a “malicious complaint” or the word “bomb” in its URL which proved problematic.
David Mackenzie, assistant secretary at Scottish CND said: “Facebook has issued an apology ‘for any inconvenience caused’ by its blocking of any reference to our website banthebomb.org. How much better if it had gone on to explain what the reason was for the blocking action.”
Mackenzie argued that Facebook’s failure to offer an explanation “leaves hanging in the air” the possibility it was responding to a “malicious complaint from an individual or an authority that finds our opposition to the UK’s appalling weapons of mass destruction too irksome to tolerate”.
A spokesperson for Facebook said: “We have resolved the issue brought to our attention. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Founded in 1958, not-for-profit Scottish CND is one of the longest running peace organisations in Scotland.
The peace group says it plays a “vital role in building peace and justice” and it works closely with churches and faith groups, trade unions, academics, politicians and other organisations.
Ofcom is the regulator for communications services.
Last year Facebook removed a number of Scottish groups on its platform identified by The Ferret as being associated with a far-right cult called QAnon.
