Yesterday, social media bully giant Facebook launched a new feature: the Facebook Marketplace for iPhone and Android users.
The Marketplace is designed so users can buy, sell and trade goods on the social platform. While this idea is not a new invention – private groups for buying, selling and bartering already exist – this is the official area Facebook created for this type of interaction.
- Illegal, prescription or recreational drugs;
- Tobacco items and related paraphernalia;
- Unsafe supplements;
- Weapons, ammunition or explosives;
- Animals;
- Adult items or services;
- Alcohol;
- Adult health items;
- Real money gambling services;
- Goods, items or posts that we determine may be or are fraudulent, misleading, deceptive or offensive;
- Items or products with overtly sexualized positioning;
- Non-physical items are prohibited on Facebook Marketplace, including but not limited to services, subscriptions, digital products, or rentals.
But it didn’t take long for people to try to sell goods that were clearly against Facebook’s terms of use, including but not limited to: sex, drugs, guns, body parts and animals.
And it worked.
According to Facebook’s Director of Project Management Mary Ku, a “technical glitch” kept the website from filtering prohibited content. Following the discovered glitch, Facebook released the following statement from Ku:
“As a result (of the glitch), certain posts with content that violated our policies were made visible to people visiting Marketplace,” Ku said in an emailed statement. “We are working to fix the problem and will be closely monitoring our systems to ensure we are properly identifying and removing violations before giving more people access to Marketplace.”
Take a look at some of the items in this social media garage sale that could be yours:
Hey @facebook, #Marketplace is off to a good start. Dogs. Guns. Sweet. pic.twitter.com/NoEpePuV96
— Josh Chace (@JOSHinHD) October 3, 2016
You can get a new house, a new phone and a new dog all in one stop… that’s a threefer right there!
Facebook Marketplace tells me in Greenwood, you can buy guns, PS4s and truck rims. Sounds about right. pic.twitter.com/DVmzNzlQTP
— Zach 🍔 (@ZSS) July 6, 2016
I want this… and this… and that… and this…
https://twitter.com/PetiePizarro/status/782994022193168384
I don’t know about that gun, but I wouldn’t sell my kid for less than $900. Just sayin.
Facebook Marketplace is everything I dreamed it would be! pic.twitter.com/SjEKgaDnmz
— Good Boy Inc. (@maxverygoodboy) October 3, 2016
Kinda thinking we should get the clown for Bob’s welcome back party next week…
@bluechoochoo here's what it looks like in Vegas pic.twitter.com/dhvpV5c1PD
— Corey Henderson (@coreyh) October 3, 2016
…oh dear.
https://twitter.com/Helllllas/status/779707092198301701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Everyone definitely wants a hedge hog, but remember: they’re illegal in some states.
https://twitter.com/anniepechenik/status/753555509223890946
You could always start with a pet rock.
Facebook Marketplace – you are one of the many reasons we can’t have nice things.
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