An in-game faction of players within Fallout 76 have found their chat group on Facebook once again mistakenly suspended. This group of sociable Fallout 76 role-players use the name of a faction from the Fallout universe for their large group of gamers that partake in the game's many events and in-game battles. This is not the first time that the group has been suspended from Facebook without warning.
Within the Fallout universe, the Free States is a faction of survivalists who attempted to recreate a society in the Appalachia region of Virginia in a post-nuclear war United States of America. They specialize in the rugged repurposing of mundane scrap and civilian equipment to make weapons, gear, and survival items. A large group of gamers have adopted the faction's name for their social group, which coordinates on tackling tough missions and events together within the game.
According to Polygon, Facebook has suspended the group from its site without any comment or warning. This is not the first time that the social media platform has suspended the group with no comment. A community leader using the handle Non_Serviam79 has commented that they have tried their best to adjust their name so it isn't flagged by Facebook's algorithm. The group itself has not been able to contact any actual Facebook employee for any comment or explanation; this has forced the group and its thousands of members to seek out other platforms to use to connect with their friends and fellow wastelanders. This is the second instance of suspension doled out by Facebook to the group, following a similar ban in October 2020.
Non_Serviam79 explains that a primary portion of the content shared on the group's page is lore discussion with character stories and game photo's sprinkled throughout. He goes on to explain while they seek out other platforms to shift to, it is unfortunate that they can't get an explanation from Facebook and the platform itself is the easiest way to contact thousands of members easily and trade stories, ideas, and plans for gaming. The assumption is that with the spike in domestic turmoil, especially the Capitol Riot last week, Facebook's algorithm flagged the group automatically without the input of an actual employee. After the first occurrence of suspension, the group even attempted removing the word "militia" from their name, shortening it to simply the "Free States".
It is unfortunate to see a large group of fans, gamers, and friends have a tough time contacting each other during the difficult societal circumstances of both a global pandemic and in the case of its American members, civil unrest in the last week. Hopefully, the group's shift to Twitter and Discord prove fruitful and the Free States Wastelanders can continue adventuring together well into the new year. Facebook has still not been reached at the time of this writing.
Source: Polygon, FSM PlayStation Video Game Club