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Facebook acknowledges a bug is blocking coronavirus news

Updated  March 17, 2020 10:03pm EDT
Coronavirus
Associated Press

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Facebook says a bug in its anti-spam system is blocking the publication of links to news stories about the coronavirus. Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, said on Twitter Tuesday that the company is working on fixing the problem.

Users are complaining that links to news stories about school closings and other information related to the virus outbreak being blocked by the company's automated system.

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Facebook logo is displayed on a mobile phone screen photographed on SARS-CoV-2 illustration graphic background. Krakow, Poland on 11th March, 2020. (Photo Illustration by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rosen said the problems are unrelated to any changes to its content moderator workforce. The company reportedly sent its human moderators home this week.

A representative for Facebook did not immediately respond to questions on the status of Facebook's content moderators, many of whom do not work directly for the company and are not always able to work from home.