Hiding comments and bulk actions

What hiding does

Hiding a comment on Facebook removes it from public view. They aren't notified, so it rarely provokes a reaction. It's the gentlest effective tool against abuse and is usually the right first move.

Two things are worth understanding about how Facebook handles hiding:

• Hidden isn't invisible to everyone. A hidden comment stays visible to the person who wrote it, their Facebook friends, and anyone with a role on your Page (admins and moderators). This is by Facebook's design. The author can't tell they've been hidden, which is what prevents a "you censored me" backlash. So if you're testing and you see a hidden comment, check whether you're viewing as a Page admin or as a friend of the author; a logged-out/incognito view shows what the public actually sees.

• Hiding keeps the comment on Facebook, which preserves it as evidence. The comment still exists on the platform; it's just hidden. That matters for serious cases: the original stays on Facebook (with its timestamp and account details) should it ever need to go to police or the eSafety Commissioner. This is the main reason Clarify treats hiding as the default rather than deleting. Deleting would remove it from Facebook entirely, leaving only Clarify's own copy.

Hiding is also reversible. You can unhide at any time.

Hiding one comment

1. Open the comment in the Social Stream.
2. Click Hide comment.

The comment is hidden on Facebook immediately and badged as Hidden in Clarify. Changed your mind? Open it again (use the Hidden filter to find it) and click Unhide comment.

Bulk hide

When a post gets brigaded, hiding comments one at a time is too slow. In the Social Stream, switch to the group by post view, then click Bulk hide on the post. Select the comments to hide and confirm. Every hidden comment is still recorded individually in the Activity Log.

Bulk reply

Same idea for questions: click Bulk reply on a post, compose one reply, and select the comments that should receive it. Useful when dozens of people ask the same thing about an event or announcement.

Permissions

• Hiding a single comment requires the Hide comments permission.
• Bulk hide and bulk reply require the Bulk actions permission.

If you don't have the permission, the app will tell you rather than fail silently. Owners manage permissions in Settings > Team.

A note on records

Hidden comments are never deleted from Clarify. The original text, classification, and the fact that it was hidden (and by whom) stay on record, which matters if the author later becomes part of a case.