What Does Marking Something as Spam Do on Facebook?
By Maya Walker
Facebook has community standards that it expects every person and organization to follow. Among those standards is the prohibition of spam. The site empowers users to mark posts or images anywhere on the site as spam. When a post is reported, it is immediately hidden from the reporting user.
What Is Spam?
When a member is contacted for commercial purposes on Facebook, it is spam. Spam is not limited to just sending messages. Posting links or images on a member's Timeline for commercial reasons is also considered spam. If you send friend requests to a significant number of people you do not know personally, this is also considered spam.
Reporting Spam
Any Facebook user can report another user for spam. The social networking site has menu options that appear next to each post. To report a post as spam, users click the “X” next to the post and then select “Report Post or Spam.” A brief message is displayed, and the reporter is offered the chance to either cancel or submit the report.
Consequences
When a member is reported for spam, Facebook investigates the report. Depending on the severity of the infraction, the punishment could range from a warning by email to account deletion. When an account is deleted, it is no longer accessible by the user. If you receive an email notification from Facebook that your account was reported for spam and you did not post, immediately change your password. A hacker may have access to your account.
References
Writer Bio
Maya Walker began writing professionally in 2008. Her articles have appeared on a variety of websites, covering technology, personal finance, music and health topics. Walker is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English at Stephen F. Austin University in Texas.