Your Closed Facebook Groups May Become Public, but Don’t Panic.
If you joined a closed Facebook group, expecting your participation and posts to be visible only to authorized users, and received a notification that the group will soon become public, don’t panic. Meta now allows administrators of previously closed Facebook groups to change their status to public, while still ensuring users that their past activity remains private.
Private Facebook groups can be made public
According to Meta’s announcement of the update , the ability to switch from private to public mode allows small groups to grow into larger communities that are easier to find, with their content visible to everyone (even those not registered with Facebook). Any administrator can make their group public, which triggers a three-day review period during which all administrators can reject the change. If no one cancels the request, the group will become public.
Groups can be reverted to private at any time, in which case new members will again require administrator approval. (These members will be able to see all content that existed before the redesign.)
Your private messages remain secure.
When a closed group becomes public, all existing posts, comments, and reactions will be visible only to existing members, administrators, and moderators, but will be hidden from new members and everyone else. Member lists will also be hidden from everyone except administrators and moderators. Any content added after the conversion will be visible to everyone.
If a group you’re a member of is converted from closed to public, you’ll receive a notification about the change. You’ll also see a notification the first time you post or comment in the newly opened group, reminding you that your activity is now visible. When you post, look for the globe icon, which indicates your content has become public.