Facebook denies intentionally blocking searches for Cyclone Alfred
www.abc.net.au
Despite hundreds of thousands of accounts talking about Cyclone Alfred on Facebook, social media giant Meta was blocking or hiding search results about the impending storm before being contacted by ABC NEWS Verify.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/19124166

Social media giant Meta blocked or hid Facebook search results for “Cyclone Alfred” ahead of the tropical storm bearing down on Australia’s east coast.

The platform is a key communication channel for emergency coverage in Australia and is used to help broadcast evacuation orders and other updates to residents during a crisis.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall between the Gold Coast and southern parts of Wide Bay region as early as Thursday evening as a category two cyclone.

It is forecast to bring destructive winds and the risk of life-threatening flooding.

But general searches about cyclones or “TC Alfred” did produce information and articles in the search results, indicating some kind of throttling about the term Cyclone Alfred specifically.

[…]

The Queensland government has urged the community to visit its disaster monitoring website for the most up-to-date information.

  • Fuse@infosec.exchange
    1·
    3 hours ago

    @BlueSquid0741
    Better to keep the batteries ‘out’ of the radio, but stored ‘with’ the radio.

    If fitted to even a simple device like a torch, pretty much any battery can leak.

    If the radio’s battery terminals become corroded from a leaking battery…
    …well, it’s not good.

    (Please don’t ask me how I know this…)

    @shirro