AI Facebook Suspension
Yesterday, without warning, my Facebook account was suspended by an AI algorithm. I am still in shock that this happened, and it’s possible I may never recover my personal channel, numerous pages I have created over the years, as well as several groups. Because Facebook has been a regular part of my life for years, and I have literally used the site multiple times per day for a really long time, this event is both jarring and instructive. I’ll share my story here in the hopes that it can help not only educate others but potentially also lead to a resolution for a situation that is both lamentable and preventable.
Since 2013, I have paid for and maintained the web domain EdCampOKC.org. I’ve run a WordPress site that we used for each iteration of EdCamp, which is a wonderful, free unconference for educators that was growing in popularity in the mid to late 2010s. Two years ago, as empty nesters, my wife and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we both teach as middle school and elementary classroom teachers. Since I am no longer an Oklahoma educator and the web domain EdCampOKC.org will expire later this summer, I am interested in ideally passing along the domain to another Oklahoma educator who might want to continue hosting OKC Edcamps in the future.
Yesterday, I posted to my personal Facebook about this, providing a link to the EdCampOKC.org website, which remains online. I then shared that post on the official EdCamp OKC Facebook page, which I created myself and dates back to 2013.
Almost immediately after sharing that post, my Facebook tab changed to a message that said my account had been suspended because of a violation of community guidelines. It did not specifically highlight what I had done, but it indicated that the violation related to a misrepresentation risk or an inauthentic representation of myself.
Alarmed, my first thought was that perhaps my laptop had been hacked. I checked to make sure the website was the actual facebook.com, and I also tried accessing the account from my phone. I know it is possible for hackers to use a man-in-the-middle DNS attack, which can redirect web traffic from a legitimate website like facebook.com to a fake one. It did not appear that was happening in this case.
The Facebook suspension warning indicated that I could appeal this one time, but if that appeal failed, I would never be able to appeal again or recover my account. I clicked to start the appeal and was asked to both submit and two-factor verify my phone number and upload a photograph of my driver’s license. Other identification options were provided. The website indicated it would review my appeal and generally respond within 24 hours.
One thing that was exceptionally odd is that there was no short text or open text response box provided for this appeal. I had no opportunity to explain myself. I have successfully defended some copyright strikes on my YouTube channels through the years, and in those cases, there was definitely a place to try and explain to the appeal evaluator what was going on. In the case of Facebook’s algorithm, which I know is powered by artificial intelligence as well as a ton of human-created code, the appeal process appears to be entirely automated and does not ask suspended users to explain themselves.
As a result, I am forced to guess what prompted this Facebook account suspension. Since this happened right after my personal post and then shared post to the EdCamp OKC Facebook page, I think two things triggered this. First of all, no one has posted to the EdCamp OKC Facebook page for about four years. So, it does seem natural that any activity on an inactive page like this would trigger some algorithmic attention.
Secondly, I’m guessing that the page may have not been set up correctly or Facebook’s guidelines for pages may be different. I set up the page as a volunteer teacher organizer of our Oklahoma City EdCamp. I’m guessing I probably set it up as a cause page. It’s possible the current Facebook algorithms saw this as a misrepresentation because it might appear that EdCamp OKC is a formal organization. We were not, and never were, a formal nonprofit or other organization; we were basically a group of volunteers that got together once a year to organize a free conference.
Another factor might have been the fact that I listed a web domain for sale and provided that link. In this case, it is entirely legitimate. I have maintained this domain for 10 years on a volunteer basis for this volunteer organization, and I would like to pass it along to another volunteer. But the algorithm likely does not see that nuance and simply saw someone hawking a web domain for sale.
About an hour after I submitted my appeal yesterday, I got a response that said the algorithm had ruled against me again, I had violated community standards, and my Facebook account would not be restored. I did find a thread on Reddit from three years ago that lists several email addresses to which account suspension appeals can be directed. I sent one, not knowing what my chances might be.
I am not going to give up quickly, but I am also not feeling extremely optimistic. I’m going to try and contact some notable technology journalists about this situation, hoping they might be able to direct me to some folks at Facebook I can contact or possibly highlight this case, and therefore to reevaluate this based on the facts of the case.
Because of the scale and volume that Facebook has to deal with, and unfortunately, the large amount of inauthentic, malicious behavior taking place on the platform, I totally understand why they need to use algorithms to try and stop posts that violate community standards and terms of service.
However, the algorithm’s behavior in this instance seems arbitrary and capricious, particularly since it did not even provide an opportunity for me to try and explain the situation and context.
I am also going to do additional research to see if there is a phone number I could call or another web form to fill out or email addresses I can use to ask for further review of this case by Facebook. If you have suggestions for me, please let me know with a comment or by reaching out directly via my web contact form. In addition to posting this on my primary educational technology and literacy blog, I’m also sharing this on Medium and will link it on multiple social media channels, which I still use and maintain.
If my Facebook account and credentials are never restored, this will definitely be a severe cognitive and relational blow to me. I have found and continue to find wonderful community through Facebook. Our church Facebook group is a fantastic way I continue to learn more and grow in relationship with members of our congregation. But with over 3,000 followers on Facebook, I have been connected to a wonderful and diverse group of people that I love having authentic interactions with. This includes members of my 1992 US Air Force Academy class, members of my 1988 high school class at Manhattan High School, former teachers at Manhattan High, and so many others, including members of our extended Fryer family as well. It’s a bit overwhelming to process what this suspension means and could mean.
On the positive side, I had never downloaded my Facebook information before, and it was pretty interesting. This will likely warrant a separate post at some point. I was not allowed to download any of my media, no photos or videos. But it did reveal things like how many companies are using or were using my data for targeted advertising. (Spoiler: it’s a huge list.)
I am also thankful to be active on multiple social media platforms, and I have generally cross-posted my content in more than one place. I have been cultivating my Cook with Wes social media channels and recipe website for at least three or four years now, and it would be a real bummer to not be able to share my love and passion for food and cooking on Facebook. I’m thankful to have not lost all my photos and videos because I have them saved and shared in other places.
I would value any thoughts or recommendations you have about this situation. I posted about this on Reddit yesterday and you’re welcome to contribute ideas there too. I also hope that this can serve as a cautionary tale for all of us, as AI algorithms continue to play greater roles in our lives. There is great opportunity here, but also definite dangers and potential perils.
More links to connect and learn with me are available on wesfryer.com/after.
