Nightmare: Facebook Gave Users the Option to Search for Child Pornography

By Randy DeSoto March 19, 2018 at 5:31pm

Facebook has apologized for its search auto-fill function suggesting sexual acts, including with minors.

The Hill reported that Facebook users began posting images on social media of the search suggestions popping up when they typed “videos of” last week.

There were multiple references to sexual acts involving minors.

Facebook released a statement apologizing for the issue.

“As soon as we became aware of these offensive predictions we removed them. Facebook search predictions are representative of what people may be searching for on Facebook and are not necessarily reflective of actual content on the platform,” the company said in a statement to The U.K. Guardian.

“We do not allow sexually explicit imagery, and we are committed to keeping such content off of our site,” Facebook added.

Earlier this month, Facebook admitted to making another “mistake” when it sent a survey out questioning whether pedophiles requesting pictures on Facebook should be permitted.

“There are a wide range of topics and behaviors that appear on Facebook,” read one question, The Hill reported. “In thinking about an ideal world where you could set Facebook’s policies, how would you handle the following: a private message in which an adult man asks a 14-year-old girl for sexual pictures.”

Is Facebook losing touch with its users?

Users were given answers to choose from ranging from the content should not be allowed to it “should be allowed on Facebook, and I would not mind seeing it.”

A follow-up question again involving an adult men soliciting a 14-year-old girl for explicit pictures gave the option for letting “Facebook users decide the rules by voting.”

Company vice president Guy Rosen tweeted, “We run surveys to understand how the community thinks about how we set policies. But this kind of activity is and will always be completely unacceptable on FB.”

“We regularly work with authorities if identified,” he added. “It shouldn’t have been part of this survey. That was a mistake.”

https://twitter.com/guyro/status/970382612714856448

Yet another controversy rocked Facebook on Friday, when it was reported that data for 50 million users was revealed during the 2016 presidential race.

Bloomberg reported that Facebook stock fell 8.1 percent to $170.06 in trading in Monday, which represented its largest single day drop since 2015.

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Randy DeSoto

Senior Staff Writer

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 3,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."

@RandyDeSoto

Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.

Birthplace

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Graduated dean's list from West Point

Education

United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law

Books Written

We Hold These Truths

Professional Memberships

Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars