For weeks, Instagram users have been complaining about a substantial increase in the number of accounts that are mistakenly suspended or prohibited.

Meta has yet to provide an official statement when contacted for comment.

Many individuals speculate, without direct evidence, that the issues may be related to the use of AI automation.

Instagram users have reported that their accounts were prohibited despite not violating the company’s terms of service or other policies, as evidenced by an increasing number of social media posts, including those on sites such as Reddit and X..

Furthermore, some individuals claimed that they did not receive a response when they submitted an appeal to have their account reviewed.

Other individuals observed that they are unable to directly communicate with a member of Meta’s support team, which has left them uncertain about their next course of action.

“I have already submitted numerous appeals, uploaded my ID, and attempted to contact Meta through all official channels; however, I have been completely ignored.”

One Reddit user (u/Dyrovicious) expressed their frustration with the ban on their personal Instagram account by stating, “It feels like I’m shouting into a void.”

(It is important to mention that Meta provides Verified account subscriptions to businesses and creators that provide priority access to customer service.)

The prohibition surge has been the primary focus of the Instagram Reddit community’s top posts for weeks.

On X, users are inundating Instagram’s replies with requests for the company to address the account suspensions or, at the very least, publicly acknowledge the issue.

The prohibitions have garnered more than 4,000 signatures on a Change.org petition.

The situation has become so fraught that certain individuals are now threatening to file a class action lawsuit against Meta in response to the bans.

Of course, the use of automated moderation systems by large internet companies will result in a certain number of false positives, as these systems occasionally make errors.

Nevertheless, the issue of an inordinate number of suspensions has recently become a focal point, and many individuals immediately suspect that AI may be responsible.

For example, Pinterest encountered a comparable issue with mass suspensions earlier this year, during which users expressed that their actions and posts did not contravene the company’s policies.

At that time, a particular group of users had also expressed their intention to pursue legal action in response to the restrictions.

In May, Pinterest ultimately acknowledged that the mass suspensions were a blunder caused by a “internal error,” but it did not specify the precise cause. Nevertheless, the organization maintained that the error was not attributable to AI moderation.

In the case of Instagram, the issues are not only impacting personal use of the app, but also the livelihoods of individuals, as businesses have been entangled in the mass suspensions.

“This is my primary source of income, my full-time occupation.” “I am extremely dependent on Instagram for leads,” stated a Reddit user (u/Paigejust) in response to their account suspension.

“This ban has had a direct impact on my business and all of the hard work and branding that I have invested countless hours in my gym, my students, and my business,” shared a gym owner on Reddit (u/CourtShaw).

It is difficult to determine whether recent prohibitions indicate an increase in the number of typical false positives from an external perspective without access to internal company data. Meta has not publicly acknowledged the issue to date.

Furthermore, a number of the Instagram users who have been impacted have reported that they are being falsely banned for severe offenses, such as child sexual exploitation (CSE).

They emphasized that this accusation has the potential to damage their reputation and career, which caused them to express great concern.