Facebook and S&W

[44 AMP]

I saw a report on the web last night saying that Facebook has banned S&W.

As a private entity they have the right to do this to S&W or anyone they don't care for, though actions like this send a message, its not one I care for.

I don't use Facebook, TFL is about as social as I get, but if you do, you might consider if you ought to continue to use their service.

Assuming, of course the internet report I saw is true....
The byline said it was from the Miami Herald...

Thoughts??

[Screwball]

Seems like BS…

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Screwball

Seems like BS…

It's definitely true. S&W posted it on their own X account:

https://twitter.com/Smith_WessonInc/...56272657822178

Fact is, all the major social media platforms have banned firearms "advertising" for a long time now.
They use this "advertising" ban to vastly limit all conversations and accounts.
When I tried to create a Facebook account for my online gun shop, the account was INSTANTLY banned.
I got the "Welcome" emails and the "Your account has been banned" emails at the same time.

Unfortunately, X is barely better. While open discussion and even account based promotions are allowed, firearms advertising still isn't.

My X feed is filled with smut, what any decent person who define as P**n.... but we can't advertise guns.

S&W is better off without Facebook, relatively few use it anyway, but these mass media companies cross a line, in my opinion.

It's one thing for a site like TFL to remain "privately owned" and therefore rightly be able to limit speech.
It's an entirely other thing when all major media platforms collude to limit freedom on topics with which they disagree.

[Paul B.]

There's several forums on Facebook for the Ruger #1, .35 Whelen and reloading that I've been participating on for several years. Facebook has "jailed" me a couple of time but lately I've taken to challenging their system that fact checks and winning. The fact checker are an AI system I think because when I call them out I get told that they will have to investigate further. They've backed off every time so far and allowed my post to stand.
Paul B.

[gwpercle]

I banned Facebook a long time ago ... I don't need those fools .
Gary

[Hawg]

Don't believe everything you see online and nothing you see on Facebook. The S&W page is still up. There are lots of firearms pages on Facebook. True they don't allow sales and even mentioning a price will get you banned from all of them even if the price mentioned is what you gave for it.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Their page "being up" doesn't mean anything. The page will sit there forever.

I mean, S&W posted a screenshot of the ACTUAL MESSAGE from Facebook and people think it's fake?
Wish we applied that same level of skepticism to our politicians.

[Ricklin]

Originally Posted by gwpercle

I banned Facebook a long time ago ... I don't need those fools .
Gary

I'm with you, I dumped the book of faces long ago. I'm pretty active online, but not with those schmucks. I maintained a facebook account for professional reasons, dumped it instantly when I retired.
The collusion especially common in the liberal media is terrifying.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Now they've banned Primary Arms too...

https://twitter.com/PrimaryArms/stat...91386018582849

[Screwball]

Originally Posted by Brian Pfleuger

Their page "being up" doesn't mean anything. The page will sit there forever.

I mean, S&W posted a screenshot of the ACTUAL MESSAGE from Facebook and people think it's fake?
Wish we applied that same level of skepticism to our politicians.

The screenshot I posted shows S&W making a post less than an hour earlier than that post… so, clearly they got it figured out and are not banned.

[Paul B.]

I read elsewhere this AM that Zuckerberg is doing an about face and apologizing for all the censorship on Fecesbook.(My favorite term for facebook) The common thought on that forum is he's running scared Mr. Trump is gonna have him and Facebook investigated for potential wrongdoing via their censorship. I sincerely hope so.
Paul B.

[4V50 Gary]

No surprise that FB slapped S&W. S&W is a 2A industry and therefore in Silicon Valley's eye evil.

FB censored a lot of information that could have saved millions of lives. It should go the way of MySpace. Like the MSM, cut the advertising revenue and it withers on the vine.

[stagpanther]

I think the banning mechanisms are arbitrary in many cases--I once had them delete a post of mine as being inappropriate and as violation of their standards--it was a picture of my dog sitting on a couch.

[Mainah]

Meh, I'll still use FB to keep up with what my relatives and old friends are posting. Otherwise its garbage, and has been far more damaging to our culture than anything S&W has done.

[Tom Servo]

Weird. It appears they were suspended on Friday:



But as of today, the account is active and posting again.

[stagpanther]

What I think probably happens is that someone browsing the page (or your page) takes offense and reports. It's easier for FB to "shoot first, ask questions later" and delete your post or throw you into FB jail by banning you for posting for a number of days--or weeks. Has happened to me lots of times. Sorta like on-line swatting. At the end of the day, FB makes money by click throughs and sweeping personal information from those click-throughs (odds are pretty good even this forum has FB-planted cookies); so they are generally going to be reluctant to take a page down permanently, especially one that generates a lot of traffic. Don't believe it? Just try taking down one of your own pages and see how difficult they make that.

[deadcoyote]

Re: primary arms ban

I’m mildly sympathetic but they didn’t warranty my lifetime warranty scope. I’ll hold this grudge forever ������.

[Skans]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

I saw a report on the web last night saying that Facebook has banned S&W.

As a private entity they have the right to do this to S&W or anyone they don't care for, though actions like this send a message, its not one I care for.

I don't use Facebook, TFL is about as social as I get, but if you do, you might consider if you ought to continue to use their service.

Assuming, of course the internet report I saw is true....
The byline said it was from the Miami Herald...

Thoughts??

I don't know if its true or not. But, like many others here, I haven't used Facebook for over 5 years now. Thankfully, I never used my real name with Facebook. Still, a couple of friends knew it was me, and then a bunch of people who I didn't want to interact with knew it was me. It was hands-down the most annoying thing ever invented. They should re-name it "Stalking-Book".

Just for a joke I did post a made-up gun for sale just to see if it would get banned. Something like: Fully-semiautomatic XV54 Glock-15 Mega-Assault Weapon. Never got banned as far as I could tell.