We’re probably too close to Halloween to not get spooked by this very strange error that Facebook users have been experiencing. Apparently, Facebook briefly blocked the phrase “everyone will know” for more than a day; users attempting to write on the platform these seemingly innocent words are now once again able to do so.
According to Melanie Ensign, the one handling Facebook’s cybersecurity communications and advocacy, this was simply a mistake that made the spam filter misidentify the three words as inappropriate or offensive. She went on to explain that the spam-fighting engine is being constantly updated, which sometimes can lead to particular phrases like this to get caught in the mix.
Fortunately, the company’s engineers have already resolved the issue. The Huffington Post also confirmed that the phrase is no longer blacklisted from Facebook. Ensign, however, couldn’t pinpoint exactly for how long had the phrase been banned.
First online mentions are from Friday, when a user asked on Question.com why had the phrase “everyone will know” been apparently blocked on Facebook. Other users confirmed to having the same problem.
By Sunday, an entire Reddit thread had been filled with more and more people reporting the same inability of posting the phrase, be it in a public status, comment, or private message. Apparently, users attempting the feat received an “Action blocked” warning.
One user mentioned that the first time they sent the phrase – it went through; subsequent tries however returned the error, leading to the removal of the initial message. Some Reddit users also reported that error messages also appeared if they tried to “like” a post that contained the phrase, such as “The action attempted has been deemed abusive or is otherwise disallowed.”
If you’re wondering how the initial user could post the blocked phrase, it seems that it was all about timing. Screenshots posted on the internet show that the warning messages had been selective at first, but soon became universal for all posts, comments or messages containing the “spam” phrase.
We’re sure glad that Facebook has such an innocent explanation for the spooky “everyone will know” incident. It could be than an employee was trying to have some innocent fun, but the proximity to Halloween has left us with an eerie feeling.
Image Source: Huffington Post
