Facebook’s algorithm is a source of many problems the company faces, and the latest such controversy reared its head this week when the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) released a study revealing that the company is still auto-generating “business” pages for terrorist groups despite promising to stop.

It’s a strange quirk of the platform’s algorithm, but it automatically generates a landing page for any organization that a user lists under their work, education, local businesses, interests, or location if a page doesn’t already exist. The company has previously been called out for doing this for terrorists, and it promised to crack down. However, according to the TTP, it’s still a big problem on the platform.

“Despite repeated warnings and questioning from multiple lawmakers, Facebook has continued to create business pages for designated terrorist groups that thrive on digital propaganda — and it’s been knowingly doing so since 2019,” TTP researcher Katie Paul said. “Facebook has instead touted its technology for fighting terrorist content in statements before Congress and responses to media.”

Next week, the US Supreme Court is hearing a case about whether tech companies can be held accountable for hosting terrorist content. Examples like this show why that kind of legal push might be necessary.

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