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  • 2019-06-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Does Facebook Have 'Shake-to-Report' Feature That Lands Users in 'Facebook Jail'? (en)
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  • Did you know Facebook's mobile app has a new feature that allows users to report problems by shaking their phones? No? Neither did we, until readers alerted us to a viral Facebook post claiming that a new shake-to-report feature was inadvertently landing some people in Facebook jail (meaning their accounts had been suspended). Warnings such as this one started to appear online in mid-June 2019: Here's the text of the post, minus emojis: With little-to-no fanfare, Facebook began rolling out a new shake-to-report feature in their mobile app in late May 2019. The tech news website Engadget described the rollout on 28 May: Facebook confirmed all this in an email to Snopes.com, including that shake to report is enabled by default. The easiest way to find out if you have it is to run the Facebook app, then give your phone a gentle shake. A pop-up screen should appear giving you the option of reporting a problem or disabling the shake-to-report feature altogether: (You can access the same screen via the main Facebook app menu, under Help & Support > Report a Problem.) There are two more things to notice about the screen Shake phone to report a problem: First, it doesn't automatically send a report to Facebook. It provides a link to a report form requiring the user to explain the problem. That means a report can't be sent accidentally. Second, it clearly says that the shake-to-report feature is to report something isn't working, not to report abusive posts or other terms-of-service violations. Note that a link is offered at the bottom to call up instructions for reporting abuse (see Facebook's help page for those instructions). That means you can't use the shake-to-report feature for issues other than technical ones. In summary, is the shake-to-report feature real? Yes, and if it has been rolled out to your app, it's automatically enabled. You can disable it (if you wish to) by shaking your phone to call up the screen and turning it off, or by doing the same via the app's Help & Support menu. Is it possible to inadvertently send reports or suspend someone's account by using the feature? No, that's not how it works. You might want to share this information with friends who are spreading the rumor. (en)
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