Facebook and Instagram users have recently complained about the platforms closing accounts without explanation; with one user saying their account was closed with no right of appeal, and no ‘just cause’. 

In light of the complaints from users, Meta acknowledged a “technical error” that led to the wrongful suspension of some Facebook groups.  While a number of users were vocal over the technical errors leading to the closure of their accounts, a mentor of a young entrepreneur spoke to The Guardian regarding his personal and business social media accounts being removed by Meta. 

“I am the mentor of a young black entrepreneur, RM, who has had his personal and business social media accounts removed by Meta, which owns Instagram. There was no notice, no option to appeal and, from my understanding, no just cause. He had built up two successful businesses in clothing design and music events.”

He continued: “For my generation, an Instagram profile can be not only a sole source of income but an identity, and the severance of mine has been difficult to recover from,” he says. “I received no warning that I was violating any guidelines, and this decision has cost me thousands of pounds in lost sales, which, as I come from an inner city, single-parent household, is catastrophic.”

Meta declined to comment on the record, but a press officer said due to “breaches” of its guidelines, it will not be reinstating the accounts or letting RM retrieve his contacts. 

Instagram’s Account Policy 

"If your Instagram account were disabled, you’d see a message telling you when you try to log in. Accounts that don't follow our Community Standards may be disabled.

"If you think your account was disabled by mistake, you may be able to ask us to review the decision by opening the app, entering your username and password, and following the on-screen instructions.”

The closure of accounts could pose a major obstacle for not only entrepreneurs, but also business accounts that rely on Instagram and Facebook for regular business activity. While Instagram has made it clear regarding the rules and regulations they expect users to abide by, the apparent random closing of accounts could not only put off businesses and entrepreneurs from seeing Instagram and Facebook as reliable, but also make users think twice about their conduct on the platform.