Unwanted Facebook Group membership

Have you been added as a member of a Facebook Group that you didn’t want to join? An increasing trend is the set up a Facebook Group and followed by a mass invitation to friends to join it.

It’s irritating because as well as being added to a Group, you’re also automatically signed up for notifications both on Facebook and by email. So in a short space of time both your Facebook notifications and your inbox can be filled with unnecessary updates that you haven’t signed up for.

This is SPAM. You’re being signed up for something that you haven’t agreed to or even had the opportunity to opt out of.

I’ve had a number of requests asking whether it’s possible to stop being added to Groups in this way. Unfortunately, there nothing you can do to prevent being added to a Group

However, following recommendations from the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, Facebook will have to close this loophole within the next six months.

In the meantime you can leave a Group or control the notifications. You can decide whether to receive Facebook notifications, emails or neither.

To do this follow the links in the email you receive of go to the Group and select ‘Settings wheel’ on the top right of the Page and Leave Group. You can control notifications by selecting the button to the left of the Settings wheel.

About Jonathan Pollinger

Jonathan has a wide range of communications and social media experience having starting his career as an Independent Financial Adviser. He has spent the past 13 years helping companies with communications, technology and more recently social media. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all social networks, Jonathan is a believer in community and is keen to bring people together face to face using social media. He’s involved with the organisation of a number of regular events including Digitalks Cheltenham and Cheltenham Social Media Club. View all posts by Jonathan Pollinger → This entry was posted in Good And Bad Social Media by Jonathan Pollinger+. Bookmark the permalink.