When Knowing Someone at Meta Is the Only Way to Break Out of "Content Jail"

"Our survey submissions have revealed some alarming trends, including: if you don't have a personal or second-degree connection at Meta, your chances of restoring your content or account are likely to drop significantly. Through the survey, we heard from activists, clinics, and researchers whose accounts were suspended or permanently removed for allegedly violating Meta's policies on promoting or selling "restricted goods," even when their posts were purely educational or informational."

"What the submissions also showed is a pattern of overenforcement, lack of transparency, and arbitrary moderation decisions that have specifically affected reproductive health and reproductive justice advocates. When accounts are taken down, appeals can take days, weeks, or even months (if they're even resolved at all, or if users are even given the option to appeal). For organizations and providers, this means losing access to vital communication tools and being cut off from the communities they serve."

EFF's Stop Censoring Abortion campaign collected stories of abortion-related content removed, suppressed, or flagged on dominant social media platforms. Survey submissions revealed that lack of a personal or second-degree connection at Meta reduces chances of restoring content or accounts. Activists, clinics, and researchers reported suspensions or permanent removals for alleged violations of Meta's "restricted goods" policy even when posts were educational. Submissions indicated overenforcement, lack of transparency, and arbitrary moderation that disproportionately affected reproductive health and justice advocates. Appeals often take days to months or may be unavailable, causing organizations to lose vital communication tools and community access. A case study profiles Red River Women's Clinic in Moorhead, MN.

Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation