HONOLULU — Facebook has made fixes this week to distinguish between Kailua, a town on the island of Oahu, and Kailua-Kona, a town on the Big Island.
People in Kailua have for years complained that Facebook didn’t recognize their town of 40,000 people as a geographical location. This led many Kailua residents and businesses to select Kailua-Kona as their hometown.
This led to frustration and confusion for locals and visitors alike. The towns are separated by more than 100 miles of open ocean.
State lawmakers introduced a resolution calling for Facebook to untangle the mess. After news coverage and a hearing on the resolution, maps on Facebook placed the cities on their correct islands. Users also had the option to locate themselves in Kailua.