Algorithm Bug? Netizens Complain Facebook Bans Users for Posting Photo of Soviet Flag Over Reichstag

Facebook users have been complaining about experiencing trouble with uploading a picture of the victory flag being raised over the Reichstag in Berlin in May 1945.

Rossiya Segodnya's journalist Leonid Sviridov has become one of the users who have had their Facebook accounts banned for three days for violating "community standards" by posting the renowned picture of the flag.

“What community standards have I violated? Am I violating them by stating that we [Russians] are the winners and that the USSR won World War II? And does Facebook doubt that the Soviet soldiers installed the victory flag in Berlin? Frankly speaking, the things that Facebook is doing is fascism”, he told the news portal EADaily.

According to the Classicalmusicnews.ru website, Russian pianist Ekaterina Mechetina complained that her page was blocked for 24 hours "for violating regulations of the community". Mechetina told the portal that it was too "symbolic" to be just an algorithm glitch.

Other users also took to social media to express their discontent with Facebook's policies.

One netizen wrote that apparently users are violating "Nazi Party regulations" if they cannot share the photo of the victory flag.

Twitterians also joined the chorus of indignation at Facebook's algorithms. The social network has so far provided no comment about the mishap.

The picture in question is a colourised photo titled "Raising a Flag over the Reichstag" taken during the Battle of Berlin on 2 May 1945 by photographer Yevgeny Khaldei.