Mass shooting rumour in Facebook Group shows private chats are not risk-free

The threat of misinformation spreading rapidly in Groups shows a potential vulnerability in a key part of the company’s growth strategy. It could push Facebook to invest in expensive human content monitoring at the risk of limiting the ability to post in real time, a central benefit of Groups and Facebook in general that has attracted millions of users to the platform. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Ahead of the annual Blueberry Festival in Marshall County, Indiana, in early September, a woman broadcast a warning to her neighbours on Facebook.

"I just heard there's supposed to be a mass shooting tonight at the fireworks," the woman, whose name is held to protect her privacy, said in a post in a private Facebook Group with over 5,000 members. "Probably just a rumour or kids trying to scare people, but everyone keep their eyes open," she said in the post, which was later deleted.