Janice R. Andrews
Meta has admitted to deleting links to Pixelfed, a decentralized photo-sharing platform and Instagram alternative, on Facebook. Reports from users on platforms like Bluesky and 404 Media revealed that posts linking to “pixelfed.social” were taken down, citing Facebook’s “Community Standards on spam” as the reason.
A Meta representative stated that the removals were unintentional and assured the posts would be reinstated. Pixelfed, built on the ActivityPub protocol, is part of the “fediverse,” a network of decentralized platforms. Similar to Instagram, Pixelfed enables users to share, like, and comment on images. Its decentralized structure also allows posts to be shared across different platforms or transferred to other photo-sharing apps.
This incident comes as Meta adopts ActivityPub for its Threads platform, enabling interoperability with Mastodon. However, the deletion of Pixelfed links raises questions about Meta’s intentions, especially given the timing.
The issue surfaced shortly after Meta introduced significant changes to its moderation policies, including the discontinuation of third-party fact-checking and adjustments to its hateful conduct rules. These updates have sparked concerns about potential shifts in platform standards and user migration to decentralized alternatives like Pixelfed, which reported a notable traffic increase over the weekend.
The situation has led to speculation about whether the deletions were accidental or a deliberate attempt to hinder competition. Meta’s actions draw comparisons to X’s past blocks on competitors such as Mastodon and Substack, fueling debates about the company’s commitment to fair competition and free expression.
Although Meta attributes the incident to an error, the context and timing have sparked scrutiny of its evolving policies and competitive practices.
