Many people use social media to stay in touch with family and friends and to post photos and videos, but some apps have been blocking users and deleting their accounts even though they say they’ve done nothing wrong.
“My sister texted me and said, ‘Did you disable your Instagram or delete your Instagram account?’ I said, ‘What?’ So, I went on Instagram, and I saw a page that said, ‘Your account has been disabled,’” said Laetitia Van Ruymbeke of Toronto.
She has had her Instagram account for 16 years and uses it to post photos of her family and friends. She also has hundreds of contacts she’s connected with while travelling the world.
That’s why two months ago she was shocked when she was locked out of her account.
“It’s really disheartening when your daughter uses it (Instagram) to stay in touch with friends and family. She was in tears when this happened,” said Van Ruymbeke’s mother, Chantal Fry.
Van Ruymbeke said her account was blocked after she was told she had posted something that violated community guidelines.
However, she felt she didn’t post anything that could have caused an issue, and no one at Instagram or its parent company, Meta, could tell her what she posted that caused the problem.
Fry tried to help her daughter get back on the platform but was unsuccessful.
“She tried to start another account, and the same message came through. It’s like she has been banned from Instagram totally for no reason,” said Fry.
What Meta said
Van Ruymbeke was not told what post caused the problem, but she did receive an email from the Meta Pro Team which said, “I completely understand your frustration, especially since Meta already acknowledged an error with your Instagram account. Looking closely at the screenshot, the notice ‘You cannot request another review of this decision’ indicates that Meta has finalized their decision on this specific account.”
“When a page reaches this final stage, their system completely closes all review channels, and unfortunately, there is no way for us to bypass or reverse it. Since this handle cannot be recovered, the only way forward is to download your Account Information while it is still available to be done. To protect your future presence and prevent this from happening again, please ensure that all content, interactions, and third-party tools strictly align with Meta’s Community Guidelines from day one.”
‘No one really knows why’
Technology analyst Carmi Levy said that many people are being locked out of social media platforms for similar reasons, and while the platform may say someone has violated community standards, they may have posted nothing that is controversial or problematic.
“No one really knows why their accounts were suspended,” said Levy.
He noted that most content on social media platforms is reviewed by AI bots, so they can misinterpret photos as being offensive when they’re completely harmless.
Levy said once you are kicked off a social media platform, it can be almost impossible to get back on.
“There are no humans involved in the process. AI determines which accounts are over the line. AI determines whether they are reinstated or not, and there is simply no opportunity to speak to a human who can help them and right this wrong,” said Levy.
Van Ruymbeke said it’s difficult to have to stop using something that has been such a big part of her life.
“It’s just so derailing for something that’s been my go-to because it’s been a part of my life for 16 years since when I was a teen to being an adult now,” said Van Ruymbeke.
She added that she is glad she has some of her precious memories from other sources and is trying to track down her contacts but feels Meta should be using people to flag inappropriate content and not AI.
“I just hope they get humans on it, and they can get the bad guys out and let the good guys keep their stuff,” said Van Ruymbeke.
