Over the past 48 hours, numerous Facebook groups across Europe that were unaffiliated with Abbott but provided “User group” services to Freestyle Libre users received notices similar to the one shown below:
This is know to have happened in the UK, Germany, Poland and Croatia, plus potentially others.
Now the takedown notice might suggest that Abbott have been reaching out to Facebook and demanding that these user-centric groups are removed, but when we look closer at the notice, we see that it isn’t Abbott directly.
Who is demanding the takedown?
As the email address of the agency that’s making this request highlights, it’s a company called Brandshield.
Brandshield, along with companies like Corsearch, pride themselves on using AI tools to find IP ingriging material and threaten the purveyors of those websites or other materials with legal action, unless they take it down. Diabettech has been subject to one of these “requests” itself.
Or in the case of these user groups, they go directly to Facebook with a “Remove these pages. Do not pass go. No right of appeal”.
Often this is outside of anyone in the Diabetes division’s knowledge of it happening.
It seems to be the result of a central legal or IP Rights team engaging these groups to root out dodgy sales, dodgy marketeering using the companies trademarks and other “nefarious” techniques. Whether they are actively focusing on user groups, or Brandshield has made a huge mistake remains to be seen.
Taking down communities of tens of thousands of users (one was in the order of 17,000) that have all been fairly loyal to the Libre, and by proxy, Abbott, Brand seems like a very dumb way of encouraging brand loyalty, especially in times where there are competing, similarly priced, products available.
What can users and admins do?
Most admins will have contacts at Abbott. If nothing else, they tend to be very good at keeping tabs on those writing about them or dealing with their products.
First and foremost, they should get in touch with them.
Users, who may not have those contacts, can contact the customer service phone numbers and emails, demanding to know why these groups, providing peer support that Abbott can’t, have been removed.
The bigger the noise, the better.
I’m reasonably certain that many in the Diabetes part of Abbott are unaware that Abbott Global have engaged these groups, or of the actions they are undertaking in Abbott’s name.
So first and foremost, if we care, let’s all make some noise.
And second, if you can, buy other makes of CGM. Dexcom One+ and Stelo are cost equivalent in most places to Libre2 and Libre3 variants.
Commercial impact will help.
Then, Abbott, it’s in your hands.
Was this intentional from Abbott Central? Then at least be open about it.
And if not, instruct Brandshield to reverse these takedowns.
Over to you…
So a respected group such as FreeStyle Libre Users is taken down but Freestyle Libre Users – Issues remains. Is this just another AI disaster or is there some commercial interest at play?
I’m stunned by this.
This is insane. Abbott has also not listened to feedback from the communities about the phone app software (like the hearing-damaging sounds the Libre 3 software recreates when it alarms). Dexcom is far more configurable for alerts (and the alerts don’t create PTSD from the noise in small children).
I agree, I’ve picked up my last batch of Libre 3’s until they can fix it. I preferred the Libre 3 because I wasn’t allergic to the glue, and was the first person in my town to request the meter years ago when the first system came out.
Tired of these shenanigans.
We have received many requests to remove copyright material on our web site from these companies. The hoster threatens us every time to take down the whole website, as they have to comply with the request. The result is the wording had to be changed from “Freestyle” and “Libre” to “FSL”. I remember Marek chose “Buttons”. In my humble opinion, Abbott forgot that the huge popularity of their sensors is not only due to the lower cost but also to the incredible work done by the DIY community at a time scanning with NFC was the only solution to know BG values. Where Dexcom and Medtronic have silently implemented countermeasure, Abbott always went down heavy using large lawer companies, taking down GitHub repositories for DMCA violation, etc. I don’t think being impopular will help them as competition is reaching a very interesting level. Time will say.