All countries
Since 2025, people in many countries have reported Instagram, Facebook and Threads accounts being disabled, often for alleged child sexual exploitation or account integrity violations, with little access to a person at Meta. The main route everywhere is Meta’s own appeal in the app or support hub. The Oversight Board takes only some cases, and whether you can go to court where you live can depend on whether you used the account as a consumer or for business.
As of 2026-10-26
Know this first
- According to the Oversight Board’s FAQ, you can appeal to the Board only from an active account that has not been disabled and that you can log in to, using the reference number from Meta’s internal appeal. It is therefore generally not a route for the owner of a disabled account.
- Meta’s terms let consumers bring claims under the law and in the courts of the country where they live; other claims go exclusively to courts in Northern California or San Mateo County. Courts in Canada have declined to hear claims about Instagram accounts used for business (2025 FC 410; 2026 QCCQ 685), so whether an account was personal or commercial can matter.
- Reports from Canada, the US and New Zealand describe people who paid for a subscription such as Meta Verified and still could not reach a person, and Korea’s regulator included the support promised to paying subscribers in its February 2026 investigation. Paying for a subscription does not guarantee a review or the return of an account.
Official appeal routes
Boosting Your Support and Safety on Meta’s Apps With AI (opens in a new tab)
about.fb.com
Meta introduced a 24-hour AI support assistant on Facebook and Instagram (for tasks such as password resets and scam reports) and login support starting with some cases in the US and Canada, and said it is moving content enforcement from outside vendors to AI. It said people still play a key role in high-risk decisions such as appeals of account disablement.
Frequently Asked Questions (opens in a new tab)
oversightboard.com
The Oversight Board’s FAQ says that to appeal you need the reference number (starting with FB or IG) from Meta’s internal appeal and an active account that has not been disabled and that you can log in to.
How to appeal to the Oversight Board (opens in a new tab)
transparency.meta.com
Meta’s Transparency Center explains how to take a decision to the Oversight Board after Meta’s own appeal. Meta says most decisions to take content down can be appealed, but not every decision is eligible.
Instagram Help Center: appealing to the Oversight Board (opens in a new tab)
help.instagram.com
Instagram’s help page gives a 15-day deadline for submitting an appeal to the Oversight Board.
Meta Terms of Service (opens in a new tab)
facebook.com
Section 4.4 of the Facebook terms (version effective 1 January 2025) says that if you are a consumer, or where applicable law requires, the laws of your country of residence apply and you can resolve claims in a competent court there. Other claims go exclusively to the US District Court for the Northern District of California or a state court in San Mateo County, under California law.
Courts, lawsuits and petitions
Meta Wrongfully Disabling Accounts with No Human Customer Support (opens in a new tab)
change.org
A Change.org petition started on 23 May 2025 by People Over Platforms Worldwide, a non-profit that describes itself as a Canadian federal corporation. It asked Meta to reduce wrongful bans, explain its reasons, offer human appeals, restore accounts and allow independent audits, and closed with 65,023 supporters.
Scam warnings
Meta Sues Photographer for Illegally Selling Instagram Handles for $50k (opens in a new tab)
petapixel.com
Meta sued a photographer in federal court in Northern California, accusing him of selling Instagram usernames and offering unauthorised account ‘reactivation’ services. Meta alleged that he worked with insiders, including employees and contractors, to misuse its appeal channels.
Reporting
What happened when Meta used AI to ban accounts on Facebook and Instagram (opens in a new tab)
thestar.com.my
The New York Times (21 July 2026, republished by The Star) sent Meta five banned accounts; Meta said two had been hacked, one was correctly banned and two had been banned wrongly. A Meta spokesperson said all five were banned by older AI tools and that its new AI tools make 13% fewer mistakes than people and find 10% more violations.
Please note
This page collects public material as general information. It is not legal advice. Bodies and procedures change, so check the original link before you apply.
For step-by-step official procedures, see the recovery guide.