Angry, confused and worried about police – behind Instagram bans

Instagram and Facebook users around the world have been left angry, confused, and worried after their accounts were banned, often for reasons they do not understand. Many say they were wrongly accused by Meta, the company that owns both platforms, of breaking rules related to child sexual exploitation. For months, tens of thousands of people have complained that Meta is banning accounts by mistake. Some have lost precious photos and memories, while others have seen their businesses suffer. The emotional impact has been huge, with some people even fearing that the police might get involved because of the accusations.

Yassmine Boussihmed, a 26-year-old from the Netherlands, spent five years building her Instagram account for her boutique dress shop. She had over 5,000 followers and relied on Instagram to find customers. In April, her account was suddenly banned, and she lost all her followers and clients. She told the BBC that she trusted social media to help her business grow, but now she feels let down. After the BBC contacted Meta about her case, her account was restored, but her personal account was banned again just minutes later. Lucia, a 21-year-old from Texas, was banned for two weeks and never told which post broke the rules. She suspects that a photo of her and her friend in bikini tops may have triggered Meta's artificial intelligence moderation tools, which sometimes make mistakes. Lucia was especially upset because she wants to work in juvenile justice and help children, and she would never do anything wrong. Her account was restored after the BBC contacted Meta, but she never received an explanation.

The problem is not limited to a few people. More than 36,000 have signed a petition accusing Meta of unfairly banning accounts, and thousands more are discussing the issue on Reddit and other social media platforms. Many believe that Meta's AI is making mistakes and banning innocent users, and that even the appeals process is handled by computers rather than humans. Duncan Edmonstone from Cheshire, England, has stage four lung cancer and relies on private Facebook groups for support. He was banned for 12 days, which cut him off from his support network. He says these groups are his lifeline and have helped him and others with their treatment. Ryan, a former teacher from London, was banned, reinstated, and banned again. He feels isolated and is worried that the police might come to his door because of the accusations.

Meta says that when a user is suspended and appeals, they review the account and either reinstate it or permanently ban it. However, Meta has not commented on the specific cases raised by the BBC. The company says it is taking aggressive action to keep its platforms safe, including removing hundreds of thousands of accounts for breaking the rules. Meta has changed its policies several times this year, but it is unclear if these changes have helped those who were banned by mistake. Many users are still waiting for answers and hope that Meta will fix the problem soon. The situation shows how much people depend on social media and how losing access can have serious effects on their lives.