Are you a Facebook Group owner? If so, chances are June 2025 gave you a serious scare.
Many group administrators woke up to find their communities gone—completely deleted by Facebook without warning. At first, Meta called it a “glitch,” but further investigation revealed that Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems had mistakenly flagged and removed numerous groups, even though no policies were violated.
From the BBC article, Meta admits wrongly suspending Facebook Groups but denies wider problem:
“Meta says it is ‘fixing’ a problem which has led to Facebook Groups being wrongly suspended – but denied there is a wider issue on its platforms.
In online forums, Group administrators say they have received automated messages stating, incorrectly, that they had violated policies so their Groups had been deleted.
Some Instagram users have complained of similar problems with their own accounts, with many blaming Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Meta has acknowledged a ‘technical error’ with Facebook Groups, but says it has not seen evidence of a significant increase in incorrect enforcement of its rules on its platforms more widely.”
Even now, at the time of writing, some groups are still in limbo—locked out, deleted, or unable to recover what was lost.
Social Media Is Rented Space
This was a harsh wake-up call, but also an important reminder: you do not own your social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok—these are all rented spaces. And as we saw in June, your access to those spaces can disappear in an instant.
Now, am I saying you shouldn’t build your business on social media? Absolutely not.
We need to be where our customers are—and the data continues to show that most people are still on Facebook and Instagram. But what I am saying is this: if you’re building your entire business on platforms you don’t own, you’re at risk.
The Real Solution: Own Your List
The solution? Start collecting customer and community data that you own and control. That means names, emails, maybe even phone numbers or mailing addresses—stored in a safe, external system.
Some ideas:
- Use a Google Sheet to collect and store contact info.
- Print a physical copy of your member list to keep at your desk.
- Connect your Facebook Group entry questions to a CRM or email marketing platform.
- Ask for contact info (with consent) during onboarding to your group or newsletter.
When someone joins your group, make those membership questions work for you. Ask for:
- Their name
- Email address
- Optional: phone number or city/state
That way, if your group goes missing, you have a way to reach out and rebuild.
Do You Need to Leave Facebook?
No. Many group admins have considered migrating to platforms like Discord or private community apps. And while that’s one option, for many of us, Facebook is still the easiest place to gather and engage with our audience. That said, I do recommend having a backup—whether that’s an email list, CRM, or both.
Personally, I still use Facebook Groups, but I make sure my community contact list lives outside of Facebook—backed up, organized, and ready just in case.
Don’t Wait for a Crisis
It’s a hard lesson, but an important one: don’t wait until something breaks to put a plan in place.
So I want to ask: What’s your backup plan?
How are you protecting your customer relationships and all the hard work you’ve put into growing your community?
If you don’t have one yet, let this be your sign. Start today. Because your business deserves more than rented land.
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