‘Your account has been disabled’: the real impact of a Facebook ban

‘Your account has been disabled’: the real impact of a Facebook ban

Meta is finally taking the impact of a Facebook ban seriously. Plus, Joe Rogan and Zuck have a heart to heart

Would you rather be banned for life from Tesco or Apple? Or, to go further: would you find it easier to cope with losing access to all major supermarkets, or Google alone? The answer will depend on your particular circumstances, but there’s no denying that losing access to a major technology company can be catastrophic. In my case, losing Apple’s services would render my smartphone near-useless, while losing access to Google would take out my email account. An Amazon ban would block me from reading thousands of pounds worth of purchased books and comics linked to my Kindle, while a Microsoft one would turn my Xbox Series X into an expensive paperweight.

The number of non-tech businesses who could inflict equivalent harm is slim. If Sainsbury’s banned me from its supermarkets, I’d have to walk a bit further to Waitrose, but I wouldn’t have to return all of the groceries I’d already bought from the store. If my bank blocked me, it would be wildly inconvenient, but strict regulations mean it would be hard for the company to close my account and keep my money.

Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is building a customer-service division to help users of its social networks who have had posts or accounts removed unexpectedly.

The effort is in the early stages, and has taken on a higher priority thanks to feedback Meta has gotten from the oversight board, the independent body set up in 2020 by the company to review some of its decisions on questionable or problematic content. The board has received more than a million appeals from users, many of them related to account support.

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