A UK charity that celebrates female photographers has had its Facebook group reinstated after Meta's artificial intelligence tools mistakenly flagged it for promoting drugs. Hundred Heroines, based in Gloucestershire, was removed twice in 2025 after the AI misread its name as a reference to the class-A opioid heroin.
The latest takedown occurred in September, and the page was restored last week without explanation or apology. Dr Del Barrett, the charity's founder and former president of the Royal Photographic Society, described the impact as 'devastating', noting that about 75% of visitors come via Facebook.
'AI technology picks up the word heroin without an “e”, so we get banned for breaching community guidelines,' Barrett said. 'Then no matter what you do, you can’t get hold of anyone.' She added that the charity considered changing its name but decided against it.
Meta, which owns Facebook, has increased vigilance around drug-related content due to the US opioid crisis. The company says it uses AI to detect and remove content that violates its community standards, but errors can occur. Users have described the appeal process as Kafkaesque, with feedback forms often the only recourse.
Barrett expressed frustration with the reliance on automated systems: 'You think these bots are running the world and they can’t tell the difference between a woman and an opioid. Heaven help us.' Meta has acknowledged a 'technical error' affecting Facebook Groups earlier this year but denied a broader increase in incorrect enforcement.
