For some of us, social media is a pain we reluctantly participate in for the cat videos. But for others, it’s crucial to their livelihoods.
For weeks, Instagram users have complained that their accounts have been banned or suspended for seemingly no reason, per TechCrunch.
While those who pay for Meta Verified subscriptions get priority access to customer service, others have been flocking to alternative platforms to gripe about unanswered appeals, beg for help, and threaten lawsuits.
Other users say bad actors hacked their accounts, but Meta has done nothing to help recover them.
There’s one business…
… that thrives on Meta’s chaos.
The Globe and Mail spoke with desperate creators and business owners who resorted to paying “brokers” a fee to connect them with Meta insiders.
Bobby Monks, a dogwalker whose account was hacked in 2022, paid one such broker ~$1.2k after dozens of requests to Meta were met with crickets.
Is that allowed?
No. Meta allows employees and contractors to get expedited help regarding their own accounts and those of family and friends, but not for strangers’ accounts — and certainly not for payment.
Meta has fired and disciplined several workers for abusing the system and sued brokers, but The Globe and Mail found the black market still in play, with some brokers making up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to lawsuits filed in the US and Canada.
And while some might think a social media break sounds nice:
- Meta “disrupted” everything, and now numerous people rely on its platforms, including influencers, creators, and business owners who use it for promotion, lead generation, and to communicate with customers and fans.
- Some users are being accused of serious offenses. One Redditor was “freaking out” after being flagged for child sexual exploitation, wondering if innocent photos of their niece’s birthday could have been mislabeled.
Is this AI’s fault?
Many think so, but Meta has been tight-lipped.
Korea JoongAng Daily reporter Cho Yong-Jun wrote that he was one of thousands of Koreans to lose their accounts. A Meta Korea spokesperson said AI was used in account screening alongside human oversight, but could not confirm it was the cause.
The saddest thing? One Korean user was communicating via Instagram with a potential love interest and now has no way to contact them — unless, perhaps, they pay a broker. We’d watch that rom-com.
