Hackers take Facebook page of animal shelter hostage: “They don’t realize what impact this has on our animals” (Ghent)

Hackers took over the Facebook page of the Ghent Animal Shelter a week ago. They share seemingly cute videos that link to porn websites. Meta, the company behind Facebook, refuses to take action. The animal shelter loses 50,000 followers.

“I have been negotiating with Meta for a week,” says Kevin Vankeirsbilck of the Ghent animal shelter. On Tuesday, April 30, hackers took full control of the animal shelter’s Facebook page after a computer attack. Since then they have shared hundreds of videos, which can be seen when you are on Facebook with your phone.

At first glance the videos seem innocent, but anyone who clicks on them ends up on porn websites. “Is it a form of phishing? We do not know. But the hackers certainly do not distribute the videos to promote our animals,” says Vankeirsbilck. (Read more below the photo)

For a week he has been trying to convince Meta to delete the videos or the entire page or to make him an administrator again. Without effect. “They don’t realize what impact this has on our shelter, on our animals,” he says. “Not only does the shelter get a bad name, our animals also have less chance of being adopted.”

The animal shelter volunteers had managed to amass more than 50,000 followers through Facebook. Because their reach was so wide, they were able to provide their animals with a loving home more quickly. Calls for operations and the like also received much more support.

“We have completely lost that,” says Vankeirsbilck. “We have created a new Facebook page where we are starting from scratch.” Vankeirsbilck asks that you unfollow the old page en masse and follow the new one. In the hope that the reach will increase again and the shelter animals will find a warm home more quickly.

The new Facebook page of the Ghent Animal Shelter can be found via this link.