Several Facebook users are reporting an apparent glitch on the social media site, saying random posts from celebrity pages are appearing on their homepage feeds.
The spam appears to stem from pages for Lady Gaga, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Nirvana and Billie Eilish, among others.
While the error seems to predominantly affect users who follow the celebrity accounts, some are reportedly seeing the comments even if they don't.
The issue has made it difficult for users to view posts from friends and other pages. It is believed to stem from a defect with the algorithm that usually filters out the comments.
“Is anybody else’s Facebook news feed acting weird?” one Twitter user wrote. “I’m trying to scroll through my news feed, and all I’m seeing are people posting to pages of people I’m following like Neymar Jr, Eminem, etc.”
A report from a user on Downdetector reads: “My feed is loaded with random people on celebrities pages. Can’t delete or block them and my feed is limited to only a few posts." The website, which is dedicated to tracking the status of various online services, shows thousands have reported the issue in the past two hours.
Some users have said that one way to fix the issue is to simply log out and back in. Others report that unfollowing the celebrity pages stopped the spam.
“I'm pretty sure everyone is seeing the same thing, I don't know what's happened,” another user wrote. “Try unfollowing the celeb pages you're seeing the spam from, and it should stop. At first, I was hiding them all saying I didn't want to see them, but there were just too many.”
Several users have taken advantage of the glitch, posting memes and encouraging others to post on celebrity pages as well. Others, however, are spamming PayPal links or advertising cryptocurrencies.
“Some are seriously offensive,” another user said.
The status dashboard of Meta, the conglomerate behind Facebook, has not yet reported any issues on the matter, although the site is dedicated to tracking developer tools rather than Facebook’s status.
Celebrities who have quit social media — in pictures
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Jonah Hill is the latest celebrity to quit social media after battling anxiety attacks for more than 20 years. AP -
'Spider-Man' actor Tom Holland said he was taking a break from social media for his mental health. 'I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming,' he said. Reuters -
Alec Baldwin deleted his verified Twitter accounts days after an ABC interview about the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. While the accounts have since returned, they are set to private. AP -
Bollywood star Aamir Khan said he has 'decided to drop the pretence' and quit social media in March 2021. AFP -
Pamela Anderson announced in January 2021 that she was 'free' from social media, choosing instead to be 'inspired by reading and being in nature'. Getty Images -
In January 2021, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to return to social media after facing 'hate' on online platforms as senior royals. AP -
US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quit Facebook in 2019, saying that 'social media poses a public health risk to everybody'. She is however active on Twitter and Instagram where she has a massive following. AFP -
'Black Panther' Letitia Wright quit Instagram and Twitter in 2020 after questioning Covid-19 vaccines and backing anti-vaxxer views. She returned to Instagram in October 2021. AP Photo -
Tech billionaire Elon Musk quit Instagram following an apparent run-in with rapper Azealia Banks in 2018. EPA -
Trolls forced Lizzo to quit Twitter in January 2020. 'Yeah I can’t do this ... too many trolls. I’ll be back when I feel like it.' She has since returned to the platform. Reuters -
'Star Wars' actress Daisy Ridley quit social media after facing anti-gun backlash in 2016. She has since returned to Instagram but is not on Twitter. AP
