INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — A new report from Meta’s Oversight Board is calling on Facebook’s parent company to address transparency and “due process” concerns regarding how it disables accounts.
Indiana’s I-Team has been tracking complaints from Indiana users and business owners who say they were wrongfully locked out of their accounts.
“It said this account has been deactivated,” said Christina. “I was just appalled. I'm a mother, and I would never do anything that had to do with child exploitation, and I just thought it was very offensive.”
Christina said she had no idea what triggered the violation, but she tried to dispute it with Meta, and that didn’t work.
Meta’s Oversight Board is an independent body that makes policy recommendations to Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
The board’s report, issued on June 4, raises concerns about Meta disabling accounts without providing clarity to users and without providing customer support for the appeal process.
Indiana’s I-Team spoke with Suzanne Nossel, a member of Meta’s Oversight Board, an independent body that was created 5 years ago.
“In some cases, this is their livelihood,” said Nossel. “They're running a business on Meta platforms.”
Nossel was appointed to the Oversight Board 4.5 years ago.
She has concerns about users being locked out of their accounts.
“There's been no transparency, no accountability on the part of the company to address the concerns of users whose accounts are shut out, and it's a reminder that those account holders are not Meta's customers,” said Nossel. “The user is not the customer; the customer is the advertiser, and so the user is there to provide the eyeballs.”
The report says the Oversight Board has received hundreds of comments from users around the world who did not understand why their accounts were permanently disabled.
“Many commenters complained of having their accounts permanently disabled for allegedly posting child sexual exploitation content, even though they had never posted anything even remotely related to such content,” read the report. “Others pointed to seeming inconsistencies in Meta’s enforcement as well as what they believe to be biased decision-making. Some users claimed they were banned for interacting with content Meta had allowed on its platforms, or said they had seen other people post far more harmful content without any apparent penalty.”
The Oversight Board issued recommendations to Meta, including making it clear to users why they suspend an account.
“They're not consistent across Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram, so it really puts the user in the dark, and what we want and are asking for is for the company to make this all clear and transparent, let users know what their rights are,” said Nossel.
Many people have criticized Meta’s use of AI in flagging accounts, but Nossel counters that AI could help resolve cases more consistently.
“I think there's some real positive potential here, but you can't just flip a switch and have AI take over all the systems,” said Nossel. “You have to monitor it very carefully, train it very carefully, audit how well it's doing.”
Christina Hodgeson is filing an appeal with the Oversight Board.
Right now, it does not have jurisdiction over individual accounts, but the board hopes to in the near future.
“That is something we've been clamoring for and demanding for years now,” said Nossel. “People should be clear about why it's happening, and if they think it's mistaken or wrongful, they should be able to make that argument.”
Indiana’s I-Team reached out to Meta for a response, and we are still waiting to hear back.
In previous statements to Indiana’s I-Team, the technology company said it uses a combination of people and technology to find and remove accounts that break its rules.
They’ve also launched an Account Recovery & Support hub that offers support for users. Meta told us they’re always working to improve enforcement of their policies, including their child nudity and exploitation policy, to help keep the community safe.
The company admits that no system is perfect, which is why they give people the opportunity to appeal if a user feels Meta got it wrong.
The Oversight Board’s recommendations to Meta include:
- Clearly explain the approach to sanctioning accounts for content they post or other behaviors they engage in.
- Clearly explain which rules, if violated, will be met with notice and graduated sanctions (e.g., a strikes system), and which can result in immediate account disablement (e.g., a “one and done” rule).
- For graduated penalties, publicize the thresholds for escalating penalties, including the threshold for permanent account disablement. These should clearly distinguish any tiering of severity between different types of violation (e.g., regular strikes vs. severe strikes) and provide multiple escalating levels of penalties to make it more likely that a proportionate option is available.
- Explain policy frameworks and factors internal enforcement teams consider when permanently disabling accounts.
- If sanctions vary between platforms a company owns, or for violations on different surfaces of a platform (e.g., publicly vs in private), explain these distinctions.
HELPFUL LINKS FROM META:
- Making it Easier to Access Account Support on Facebook and Instagram
- Scam Prevention Hub
- Passkeys on Facebook for an Easier Sign-In
- How two-factor authentication works on Facebook
- Using Security Checkup to add security to your Facebook account
- Security Tips and Features
- Facebook alerts for suspicious friend requests
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