Meta's AI Moderators Under Fire for Wrongful Suspensions on Instagram

Multiple Instagram users have had their accounts wrongly suspended, blaming Meta's increasing use of artificial intelligence for the issue. Meta claims to use both humans and technology to monitor user profiles, but analysts believe AI is the more likely culprit. The wrongful suspensions have raised concerns about the accuracy of AI moderation and the potential for human error.

Multiple Instagram users have reported their accounts being wrongly suspended, attributing the issue to Meta's increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in moderation. The incidents have sparked concerns about the accuracy of AI moderation and the potential for human error.

A high school teacher in Vaughan, Ontario, Megan Conte, lost access to her Instagram account after being wrongly accused of posting material that depicted "child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity." Conte's account was reinstated only after CBC Toronto contacted Meta, the parent company of Instagram. Conte expressed her concern that sudden, unjustified suspensions are still occurring [1].

Another user, Brittany Watson of Peterborough, Ontario, started an online petition after her Instagram account was shut down without explanation in May. The petition, which has garnered over 34,000 signatures worldwide, calls for better oversight of AI moderation tools [2].

Tech analyst Carmi Levy suggests that with billions of users, automated moderators are the only viable option for social media giants. However, he believes they need to do a better job of policing their AI tools [1].

Meta has stated that it uses a combination of people and technology to track violations of its community standards. The company has not noticed an uptick in the number of people whose accounts are mistakenly suspended [1].

In a separate development, Meta is exploring ways to bring in partners to help fund the infrastructure needed for its AI initiatives. The company disclosed plans to offload $2 billion in data center assets as part of this strategy, signaling a shift among tech giants to share AI infrastructure costs [2].

The wrongful suspensions have raised questions about the balance between AI efficiency and human oversight. As AI becomes more integrated into social media platforms, there is a growing need for transparency and accountability in moderation practices.

References:
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/teacher-wrongly-accused-child-exploitation-meta-account-apology-1.7599595
[2] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L6N3TT0RL:0-meta-to-share-ai-infrastructure-costs-via-2-billion-asset-sale/