FB to downrank your Groups posts if you break rules

Tech giant Facebook will start demoting all Groups content from people who have violated its policies elsewhere across the platform.

The move is supposed to limit rule-breakers from reaching other people in a community, and it builds on existing policies that prevent them from posting, commenting, or inviting others, reports The Verge.

In a blog post, the tech giant said it will also add a new "Flagged by Facebook" feature that shows group administrators content that's been flagged for removal.

The admins can choose to remove the content or to ask for a review if they believe it's appropriate, with the goal of getting administrators involved before Facebook steps in and issues a strike that could affect the group itself, the report said.

Facebook has paid increasing attention to groups since the 2020 US presidential election, where they were used to spread false information about voting.

It is also facing increased scrutiny over extremism and other harmful content on the platform thanks to documents leaked by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who recently testified before Congress.

Earlier this week, Facebook indicated that it's also expecting a slew of new stories based on "thousands of pages of leaked documents."

While the company characterised the upcoming reports as "an orchestrated 'gotcha' campaign," it's also promoted its efforts to reduce hateful or false content while offering greater transparency around moderation.

A September update offered detail about content that it demoted as problematic but did not entirely remove, including posts by accounts that had violated its rules in the past.