how to get deleted posts in facebook graph or who deleted it when i'm group admin

Investigating Deleted Posts in Facebook Groups (Admin Perspective)

As a Facebook group administrator, understanding how to track deleted posts and identify who deleted them is crucial for moderation and maintaining group integrity. This article explores the limitations and available methods for investigating such events.

Managing a Facebook group involves a lot of moderation, and sometimes posts disappear. As an admin, you might wonder if there's a way to retrieve deleted posts or, more importantly, identify who deleted them. This is a common challenge, as Facebook's Graph API and internal tools have specific limitations regarding access to deleted content and detailed audit logs for such actions.

Understanding Facebook's Data Retention and API Limitations

Facebook's Graph API is primarily designed for accessing current, active data. Once a post is deleted, it is typically removed from the accessible API endpoints. This is a privacy and data retention policy. The API does not provide a direct endpoint to query for deleted posts or a specific log detailing who deleted a post within a group. This applies to both posts deleted by the original author and those removed by an administrator.

flowchart TD
    A[Group Post Created] --> B{Post Deleted?}
    B -- Yes --> C[Post Removed from API]
    C -- No Direct API Access --> D[No 'Deleted Posts' Endpoint]
    B -- No --> E[Post Remains Visible via API]
    D -- Admin Activity Log (Limited) --> F[Potential Clues]
    F -- Manual Review --> G[Identify Deletion Event (If Possible)]

Flowchart illustrating the lifecycle of a Facebook group post and API access limitations after deletion.

Leveraging the Admin Activity Log

While the Graph API doesn't offer a direct solution, Facebook does provide an 'Admin Activity Log' within the group itself. This log records various administrative actions, including when an admin removes a post. It's the most reliable source for identifying which admin deleted a post, but it won't show posts deleted by the original author or provide the content of the deleted post itself.

1. Access Your Group

Navigate to your Facebook group on a desktop browser.

2. Go to Admin Tools

On the left-hand sidebar, look for 'Admin tools' or 'Moderation tools' and click on it.

3. Find Activity Log

Within the admin tools, locate and click on 'Admin Activity Log'.

4. Review Entries

Browse through the log entries. You'll see actions like 'removed a post by [User Name]' or 'approved a post by [User Name]'. This log will indicate which admin performed the action, but not the content of the deleted post.

No Direct Graph API or FQL Solution for Deleted Content

Historically, Facebook Query Language (FQL) was a powerful tool, but it has been deprecated. Even when FQL was active, it did not provide a mechanism to retrieve deleted posts. The current Graph API similarly lacks this functionality. There are no endpoints like /group_id/deleted_posts or similar that would expose this information. Any third-party tools claiming to retrieve deleted Facebook content should be approached with extreme caution, as they likely violate Facebook's terms of service or are scams.