Zero Hedge Says Facebook Banned Users From Sharing Its Posts

(Bloomberg) -- Zero Hedge said that Facebook Inc. has begun banning users from sharing links to posts published on the libertarian financial website, known for its bearish bent and anti-establishment commentary.

Readers of the blog reported being unable to share links to Zero Hedge articles via the social media platform, which has previously said it’s making a concerted effort to clamp down on fake news and harmful content amid mounting criticism. Alerts from Facebook said such stories "couldn’t be shared, because this link goes against our Community Standards."

A message to Facebook was not immediately returned. On its website, Zero Hedge’s pseudonymous author ‘Tyler Durden’ wrote that the blog was "surprised by this action as neither prior to this seemingly arbitrary act of censorship, nor since, were we contacted by Facebook with an explanation of what ‘community standard’ had been violated or what particular filter or article had triggered the blanket rejection of all Zero Hedge content."

Since being founded in the depths of the financial crisis, Zero Hedge has built a dedicated following by serving up a mix of hardcore financial analysis and populist political commentary. Both the ‘Tyler Durden’ name and the site’s tagline -- "On a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” -- are borrowed from the anarchic cult classic ’Fight Club.’

In 2016, Bloomberg revealed the identities of Zero Hedge’s three main writers. They were Colin Lokey, who quit the blog, Tim Backshall, a credit derivatives strategist, and Daniel Ivandjiiski, a Bulgarian-born former analyst long-rumored to be behind the site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tracy Alloway in Abu Dhabi at talloway@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Robert Fenner

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