Meta blamed a technical error when it admitted wrongly suspending some Facebook Groups. Users of the world’s most popular social media platform have got in touch with the BBC to say how for them it is much more than a technical issue. Some say they have been shut out of pages that are key to their working lives, while others highlight the digital connections to loved ones that have been cut.
As well as anger, there is frustration that despite Meta saying it is fixing the problem, there is often no human to speak to about an issue they suspect is caused by moderation decisions powered by artificial intelligence. They have also described how Instagram accounts have been affected, despite Meta saying it does not have evidence of a problem on its platforms more widely.
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition in the last few weeks which says the problem is being experienced across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Reddit forums are dedicated to the subject, many users are posting on social media about being banned by Meta, and some say they plan on taking a class action lawsuit against the social media giant.
Brittany Watson started the petition after her Facebook account was disabled for nine days in May before it was reinstated. She claims her page was cancelled over account integrity, and Meta has not provided her with any answers as to why. When her account was banned, Brittany said she felt ashamed, embarrassed, and anxiety-stricken.
John Dale, a former journalist, runs a local news group in West London with over 5,000 members. His account was first suspended on 30 May for breaking community standards, and the page he administers has briefly come back twice since then. He has no idea why. As he was the only administrator of the group, he currently cannot approve new posts.
Michelle DeMalo says she has suffered financially since her Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended in the middle of June. They were reinstated on Wednesday, a day after the BBC contacted Meta about her case. She runs several pages, with some associated with her businesses in digital marketing, and also uses Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell goods.
Sam Tall, a 21-year-old from Bournemouth, discovered his Instagram page was suspended last week for breaching community standards. He decided to appeal, and it was rejected two minutes later – making Sam suspect the process was entirely handled by AI. All the memories, all his friends who he can no longer talk to because he doesn’t have them on any other platform – gone.
As his Facebook account was linked, that was removed too. No explanation. Sam says it is time for some serious action from Meta – and not just for his sake. If he knows it is quite a few people, then there is a chance of Meta waking up and realizing this actually is an issue – let’s reinstate them all.
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