Meta repeatedly snubs EU body over Facebook and Instagram user bans

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Meta repeatedly snubs EU body over Facebook and Instagram user bans1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleImran Rahman-JonesTechnology reporterGetty ImagesAn independent body which hears disputes from social media users in the EU says Meta virtually never replies when it raises cases of people who say they have been wrongly banned from their accounts. Appeals Centre Europe looked at 4,600 cases of Facebook, Instagram and Threads users who said they had been wrongly banned, but Meta provided evidence in fewer than 100 of these cases. Last year, the was contacted by hundreds of Facebook and Instagram users in countries around the world, including the UK, who claimed they had been wrongly banned and had no way of getting their accounts back.

Meta has been contacted for comment. Appeals Centre Europe is one of a number of independent dispute settlement bodies which allow people in the EU to challenge social media platforms' decisions including on account bans and content moderation. Its report shows only a snapshot of the wider social media landscape in Europe, where hundreds of millions of pieces of content are taken down by platforms every year for a variety of reasons.

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Under EU law, online platforms should "engage in good faith" with the body, but its decision is not legally binding. Account bans were the biggest issue reported to it in the year leading up to March 2026. "In the vast majority of cases related to account suspensions, platforms are unable or unwilling to provide the content which allows us to independently review their decisions," it said in its transparency report.

Meta provided relevant content for fewer than 100 out of more than 4,600 account ban cases, the report said, "causing significant frustration among users". Last year, more than 500 people contacted the with complaints about their Instagram and Facebook accounts being banned without being able to appeal or speak to somebody at Meta. Some spoke of the profound personal toll it has taken on them, including concerns that the police could become involved, and the effect bans could have on their online businesses.

Meta repeatedly refused to comment on the problems its users faced - though it frequently overturned bans when the raised individual cases with it. Alleged hate speech not removedThe Appeals Centre report also made judgements on content flagged to it which users said should be taken down, including more than 1,400 cases of content flagged as hate speech. "In more than two-thirds of our decisions about hate speech, we found that platforms failed to enforce their own policies and left up hateful content," chief executive Thomas Hughes said.

He cited examples including misogynistic, racist, homophobic and transphobic posts. On TikTok, 83% of potential hate speech was not taken down, followed by 74% for Instagram. On Facebook the figure was 61%, while on YouTube it was 58%.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.