Perfectly innocent waterway called Cockshoot Dyke gets Facebook ban
With perfectly innocent names like Three Holes, Two Mile Bottom and Dick’s Mount, social media can be a minefield for locals in East Anglia.
Any mention of these names could land them in a bit of bother with Facebook’s rigorous censors.
The latest to fall foul of its guidelines on ‘hate speech’ is a picturesque waterway called Cockshoot Dyke in Norfolk.
When one follower on the Love the Norfolk Broads Facebook page harmlessly mentioned her recent trip along the dyke towards Cockshoot Broad, it was automatically removed by Facebook.
A notification then warned the post for its ‘sexual content’ and ‘violence’.
Businessman Steve Burgess, who looks after the community page, says it’s quite a common issue.
He told the Great Yarmouth Mercury: ‘It’s a daily occurrence. In this case they have put two and two together and got 58.’
Mr Burgess, 61, who runs two fishing tackle shops in the area, said he’s even been banned for 24 hours after calling himself fat in a picture.
‘You’ve got to laugh,’ he said. ‘It is a bit Big Brother-ish, but it does make sense.
‘When you think of the millions of people using it, it is the only way it can be done.’
To get around Facebook’s punishment of peculiar British names, Mr Burgess has started using spaces between the letters.
He added: ‘The irony is you see so much that is really obscene or violent or sexual but nothing is done.’
Some have suggested renaming Cockshoot Dyke the ‘waterway that shall not be named’ in an ode to Lord Voldemort.
But it’s not just the good people of Norfolk who have to tread carefully online.
Spare a thought for the residents of Twatt in the Orkney Islands, or the locals in Cockermouth in Cumbria.
Anyone thinking of booking a staycation at Sandy Balls in the New Forest should also take care when posting their holiday snaps on Facebook.
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