Meta apologises for blocking links to Groundswell's website
Thursday, 11 November 2021
Meta, the parent company of the social media platform Facebook, has apologised for blocking links to a website launched by farmer protest group Groundswell NZ.
Groundswell NZ founder Bryce McKenzie said supporters trying to share links to the site to their own social media pages had the messages blocked.
The website, “Enough is Enough” lets people to send a message to the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor about Government regulations, which the group says are unworkable.
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But Groundswell supporters had messaged the group’s own Facebook page saying if they shared a link to the website, it was being blocked.
When contacted for comment, a Meta spokesperson said “this content was removed in error after being incorrectly identified as spam. This content has now been resorted and we apologise for any inconvenience.”
It has removed the block and content can now be shared, the spokesperson said.
The ‘Enough is Enough’ website has an online tool which allows people to write to O’Connor to “tell him to do his job and stick up for rural communities”.
On Monday morning, the site had already received 4500 responses since it went live on Saturday, McKenzie said.
The website was built for Groundswell NZ by a contractor who works for The Taxpayers Union, after seeing a website it had built.
On Monday, O’Connor said all correspondence sent to his office was reviewed by his team.
O’Connor said he meets all the time with farmers, catchment groups, sector organisations and companies during which he hears a very broad range of issues.
“Regulation will always be needed for the likes of food safety, the integrity of our production systems, and our environmental reputation as our consumers abroad look for the best quality food.’’
Groundswell NZ was formed to fight against some freshwater regulations introduced by the Government last year, which the group said were unworkable on farms.
“It changed a bit when we got into the 3 Waters area because that is no longer about farmers, it’s about everyone having their rights eroded. But it’s united urban and rural people. There are a lot of urban people who are getting in touch with us and saying they support us.’’