In February 2013, I launched ElizabethWarrenWiki.org to put in one place the wide range of research regarding Elizabeth Warren conducted during her 2012 Senate campaign against Scott Brown.
At about the same time, I launched an Elizabeth Warren Wiki Facebook Page. There have been no problems with or warnings from Facebook with the page.
The mission of the Wiki was:
The goal of this Wiki is to be the most comprehensive repository of information and links regarding Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Content will be added over time, so please check back frequently.
Over time, the Wiki has expanded, and contains what I believe to be the most comprehensive research on the Elizabeth Warren Native American / Cherokee Controversy and many related topics:
The Wiki has received almost 600,000 visits since launch, and has become a go-to source precisely because the research is so well-documented and sourced.
Recently, the Wiki has been at the center of tweets by Bernie supporters questioning whether Warren’s claims as to Native American ancestry and denials over time make her unelectable:
It may be “coincidence” that just after the Wiki received attention in the looming Bernie-Warren battle, Facebook took down the Wiki’s Facebook page (not the Wiki website, which thankfully Facebook does not control) based on a demonstrably false claim that the page violates Facebook’s “impersonation” policy.
Did a Warren supporter complain to Facebook? We don’t know, but based on past Warren supporter harassment of me at work, it wouldn’t surprise me. All I know is that I received a notification from Facebook that the page has been “unpublished”:
Your Page has been unpublishedIt looks like recent activity on your Page doesn’t follow the Facebook Page Policies regarding impersonation and pretending to be an individual or business.Visit the Help Center for more info on why Pages may be unpublished and tips for managing your Page. If you think we made a mistake, you can appeal and we’ll take another look.
Here is the Facebook Impersonation Policy (yellow highlighting added):
We clearly do not violate this policy. The Wiki page does not purport to “impersonate” Warren — the title of the page specifically has “Wiki” in it indicating it is not purporting to be Elizabeth Warren. Beyond the title, the “About” section makes the following disclosures (which are what the Facebook policy says should be done — see above)(emphasis added):
MissionElizabeth Warren Wiki’s mission is to be the most comprehensive repository of information and links regarding Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This Wiki site is not affiliated with Senator Warren or her campaign.Our StoryElizabethWarrenWiki.org is a comprehensive collection of information and history regarding Elizabeth Warren. We are NOT affiliated with Elizabeth Warren’s Senate office or any of her campaigns.
[Note added: The Mission statement has been live on the page for a long time, the “Our Story” was inputted long ago, but was in draft and just published]
So the Elizabeth Warren Wiki Facebook Page in its title relates to Elizabeth Warren Wiki, which has been in existence since February 2013, does not purport to be Elizabeth Warren, and just so there is no confusion, has disclosures of the type Facebook specifically says should be made.
Nonetheless, the page was taken down without warning based on a false claim that it violated Facebook’s Impersonation policy.
We promptly filed an appeal providing all this information.
As of this writing have heard nothing, and the page is not available.
Even if the page gets restored (hopefully someone with sense at Facebook will look at this), the question remains how this happened, and why a Page that is several years old was taken down without warning.
It’s another reminder, as when our YouTube page was taken down without warning, that we can’t rely on big tech.
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