The Oversight Board, Meta’s independent governing body that makes policy recommendations to the tech company, said Thursday that Meta’s account deactivations lack due process. The board found that violations are doled out without clarity and there is little customer support for appeals. The board launched the investigation into Meta’s account violations policy earlier this year to review a case involving threats of violence against a journalist. The board agreed that Meta was right to permanently disable that account due to the severity of the threats.
Systemic Human Rights Concerns Found In Two-System Approach
In looking into the matter, the board found what it described as “systemic human rights concerns” and a “lack of transparency and consistency” regarding Meta’s two-system approach to disabling accounts. One system involves strikes, some of which can be severe. Another system handles “egregious” violations that merit permanently disabling an account. The board said the difference between what leads to one type of violation or the other is not clear or well-documented.
The board also called out Meta for charging users for Meta Verified access, which is supposed to include “24/7 access to email or chat agent support,” but failing to provide users with disabled accounts any “meaningful assistance.”
Users Report Bans Without Specific Posts Or Human Review
Meta users across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta apps have dealt with this problem for years. As Meta’s moderation systems became more automated, there has been little recourse when they make mistakes. This has been devastating to users who have lost personal accounts or business accounts over false accusations. Some have filed lawsuits.
Retired LA County firefighter and paramedic Richard Pauwels claimed his personal account was banned without any specific post being identified and without human review. Automated child sexual exploitation (CSE) violations are another common occurrence leading to bans. A PR professional asked to remain anonymous because their account was banned for false accusations of CSE, despite no content being cited and no new posts from them in weeks. Manomi Jayakody said their account was also banned for CSE without any specific content or violation being flagged.
“I fully understand and support the critical importance of CSE enforcement and online safety. However, when accounts are flagged under such serious categories without due process, transparency, or consistent human oversight … the consequences for innocent users are severe,” Jayakody wrote.
Bird Rescue Operation And Business Owners Also Affected
A bird rescue operation account was banned for CSE material. “It’s an account about our rescue pigeons. It has over 60K followers, and we regularly use that account to contact other volunteers who rescue birds,” they wrote. Content creator Albert Olgaard, with 325,000 Instagram followers, said his business accounts were shut down overnight for allegations of “fraud” with no citations. When he tried to appeal, a message stated, “You cannot request another review of this decision.”
Business owner Alex also woke up to find his account permanently disabled. “The account was tied to legitimate business activity, including page access, client communication, marketing, advertising, and lead generation. Since the deletion, I have suffered ongoing business disruption, reputational harm, and significant stress, while being unable to obtain any meaningful human review through Meta’s support channels,” Alex wrote.
Meta Verified subscribers said they did not get the support they paid for. One person said the Meta agent ended their chat when they referenced EU regulation GDPR.
Board Recommends Violation Dashboard And Clear Appeal Options
The board is recommending that Meta offer users a dashboard where they can easily review account stats, past violations, and appeal options, along with clear notifications about violations at the time they are imposed. Warnings or violation reports should include the time they were imposed, the specific rule violated, the sanction imposed, and appeal options. The board says Meta should provide users with information on the role AI plays in content review and the imposition of warnings or penalties.
In response, Meta shared the following statement: “We welcome the Oversight Board’s decision on this case. The Board upheld Meta’s decision to permanently disable an account. After conducting a review of the recommendations provided by the Board, we will update this post with initial responses to those recommendations.”
Featured image credits: Designed by IcoSix
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