My Facebook profile’s got the pigfluenza.
As it turns out, Facebook just isn't a fan of MILF — as in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Duh. (See below.)
Just a few minutes ago, I went in to edit the favorite TV shows section of my Facebook profile. I needed to add what will surely become one of my all-time faves, "I Love Smashley," but after I typed that in and hit the save button, I got this error message:
Warning: Your Profile Contains Blocked Content
Content in your profile has been reported as abusive by Facebook users. You may not edit your profile until you remove that content (most likely a link).
Having never seen such a message before, I quickly copied it into my Facebook status and asked, "OK, so who's feeling abused?" ("Maybe it was Brewer," Jenn hypothesized.) Then I went back and tried to figure out what was so abusive.
I tried taking out the link to the video that illustrates my three life goals that I describe in the "About Me" section. But I still got the bright-red error message.
Then I tried softening the reference to one of my interests, Bank of Fucking America. No dice.
Next, I dashed out this little gem from my quotes section:
Maricela: "I'm gonna pray for you."
Jessica: "Pray for yourself, bitch!"
–"High School Reunion," Chandler High Class of '88
Facebook still was not pleased.
Meanwhile, I'm poking around in the help section, looking for an FAQ entry that could shed some light on my situation, and just as I come across one with the exact text of the error message in the title, I notice that I've been logged out of Facebook and this e-mail shows up in my inbox:
From: Facebook
To: Brian Indrelunas
Date: Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 16:54
Subject: Security Warning From Facebook
We have detected suspicious activity on your Facebook account and have reset your password as a security precaution. It is possible that malicious software was downloaded to your computer or that your password was stolen by a phishing website designed to look like Facebook. Please carefully follow the steps provided:
1. Run Anti-Virus Software: If your computer has been infected with a virus or with malware, you will need to run anti-virus software to remove these harmful programs and keep your information secure. For Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/viruses/xp/av.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/default.mspx
For Apple:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
2. Reset Password: Be sure that you use a complex string of numbers, letters, and punctuation marks that is at least six characters in length.
To reset your password, follow the link below:
http://login.facebook.com/reset.phpXXXXX...
(If clicking on the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting it into your browser.)
3. Never Click Suspicious Links: It is possible that your friends could unwillingly send spam, viruses, or malware through Facebook if their accounts are infected. Do not click this material and do not run any .exe files on your computer without knowing what they are. Also, be sure to use the most current version of your browser as they contain important security warnings and protection features.
4. Log in at Facebook.com: Make sure that when you access the site, you always log in from a legitimate Facebook page with the facebook.com domain. If something looks or feels suspicious, go directly to www.facebook.com to log in.
5. Report Suspicious Activity: Please visit the following pages for further information about Facebook security and information on reporting material: http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=420 and http://www.facebook.com/security.
Once you have performed all these steps, your account should once again be secure. Please be sure to visit the Facebook Help Center for further information regarding these security issues and let us know if you need assistance.
Thanks,
Facebook Security Team
Sooo sketch. I assume I got this e-mail because I tried to edit my profile five times in the span of two minutes, but srsly... I feel like I need to report Facebook's own activity as suspicious.
Some clarity.
17:30 » It looks like the "blocked content" was my interest in "militant milf commanders," i.e., leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Facebook needs to get its mind out of the gutter...
17:50 » I also wanna point out that I couldn't even make a MILF reference in a comment on the news-feed item about changing my interests.
But how much you wanna bet that half the Facebook office is going to tune into a new episode of "The Cougar" tonight? Not that that has anything to do with radical Islamic rebels in the Philippines... Come to think of it, I don't even know why I brought that up.