Angry, confused and worried about police – behind Instagram bans
13 hours ago Share Save Graham Fraser Technology Reporter Share Save
Getty Images The banning of accounts has left an emotional impact on people
Instagram users have told the BBC of their confusion, fear and anger after having their accounts suspended, often for being wrongly accused by parent company Meta of breaching the platform's child sex abuse rules. For months, tens of thousands of people around the world have been complaining Meta has been banning their Instagram and Facebook accounts in error. They say they have been wrongly accused of breaching site rules - including around child sexual exploitation. More than 500 of them have contacted the BBC to say they have lost cherished photos and seen businesses upended - but some also speak of the profound personal toll it has taken on them, including concerns that the police could become involved. Meta acknowledged a problem with the erroneous banning of Facebook Groups in June, but has denied there is wider issue on Facebook or Instagram at all. It has repeatedly refused to comment on the problems its users are facing - though it has frequently overturned bans when the BBC has raised individual cases with it. Here are some of the stories users have shared with BBC News.
'I put all of my trust in social media'
Yassmine Boussihmed, 26, from the Netherlands, spent five years building an Instagram profile for her boutique dress shop in Eindhoven. In April, she was banned over account integrity. Over 5,000 followers, gone in an instant. She lost clients, and was devastated. "I put all of my trust in social media, and social media helped me grow, but it has let me down," she told the BBC. This week, after the BBC sent questions about her case to Meta's press office, her Instagram accounts were reinstated. "I am so thankful," she said in a tearful voice note. Five minutes later, her personal Instagram was suspended again - but the account for the dress shop remained.
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Lucia, not her real name, is a 21-year-old woman from Austin, Texas. She was suspended from Instagram for just over two weeks for breaching Meta's policy on child sexual exploitation (CSE), abuse and nudity. As with all the other cases, she was not told what post breached the platform's rules. That has left wondering if a picture she posted of herself and her 21-year-old friend wearing bikini tops somehow triggered the artificial intelligence (AI) moderation tools, as she thinks they "look a little bit younger". She also uses her account to interact with under 18s, such as sending Reels to her younger sister. "It is deeply troubling to have an accusation as disgusting as this one," she told BBC News. "Given that I have a desire to work in juvenile justice as an attorney and advocate on behalf of children, I am appalled to have been suspended for something I know I did not do and would never do." She appealed, and then about seven hours after the BBC highlighted Lucia's case to Meta's press office, her account was restored with no explanation.
Over 36,000 people have signed a petition accusing Meta of falsely banning accounts; thousands more are in Reddit forums or on social media posting about it. Their central accusation - Meta's AI is unfairly banning people, with the tech also being used to deal with the appeals. The only way to speak to a human is to pay for Meta Verified, and even then many are frustrated. Meta has not commented on these claims. Instagram states AI is central to its "content review process" and Meta has outlined how technology and humans enforce its policies.
A community torn away
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