This article is copublished with USA Today. This article is copublished with USA Today. USA Today Welcome to The Markup, where we use investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good. Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that delivers our stories and tools directly to your inbox. Welcome to The Markup, where we use investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good. Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that delivers our stories and tools directly to your inbox. Klaxon As The Markup was investigating whether Instagram practiced shadowbanning—covertly hiding what people post without telling them—we heard from so many Instagram users that they felt helpless after the platform removed their content or kept them from commenting and posting. whether Instagram practiced shadowbanning Automated Censorship Read the entire series: Demoted, Deleted, and Denied: There’s More Than Just Shadowbanning on Instagram
How We Investigated Shadowbanning on Instagram
What To Do If You Think You’ve Been Shadowbanned on Instagram Demoted, Deleted, and Denied: There’s More Than Just Shadowbanning on Instagram Demoted, Deleted, and Denied: There’s More Than Just Shadowbanning on Instagram How We Investigated Shadowbanning on Instagram How We Investigated Shadowbanning on Instagram What To Do If You Think You’ve Been Shadowbanned on Instagram What To Do If You Think You’ve Been Shadowbanned on Instagram We also heard that the appeals process left people frustrated. There’s not much documentation on when exactly users can appeal Instagram’s decisions; as The Markup found, identical content posted by different users can be treated completely differently. If you think you’ve been shadowbanned on Instagram—or if the app has notified you that it has removed your content or limited your account in some way—here’s what you can do. One note: Instagram often changes app settings without notice, so these steps work as of the time this story was published—but if they don’t, you may want to hunt around in a “Help” section. Check Your Account Status Under “Account Status,” users can see the content Instagram removed, what features they’re currently banned from using, or if they’re at risk of having their account deleted by Instagram and why. Business and creative accounts can check if they can be recommended to people who aren’t following them and which, if any, of their posts went against Instagram’s recommendation guidelines. These accounts can also see how violations may be affecting their ability to use Instagram’s monetization tools. Instagram claims that if a user’s post is removed, the user is able to request a review “for the vast majority of violation types” except when there are “extreme safety concerns, such as child exploitation imagery.” If Instagram allows a user to request a review, Account Status is where they can submit it. claims But what shows up under Account Status isn’t the complete picture. The Markup found that users can’t always see what actions Instagram has taken when it believes someone’s account or content doesn’t follow guidelines, despite its claims otherwise. Certain restrictions, such as banning a user from being able to comment, did not show up under “Features you can’t use.” We repeatedly found that content removed for going against guidelines on “spam” or “dangerous organizations and individuals” didn’t show up in the “Removed content” section under Account Status, though it shows up on another part of the platform (check out our next section). Still, it’s worth checking Account Status to see if there’s any information on whether your account has been banned or restricted. On a desktop or mobile browser, you can go to Account Status directly. On a desktop or mobile browser Account Status How to access Account Status on the mobile app: Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.



Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.



Scroll down and select “Account Status.” Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and select “Account Status.” Scroll down and select “Account Status.” Check Violations If you can’t find your removed content under Account Status, sometimes it will show up under “Violations.” On a desktop or mobile browser, go to the Help page, select “Support Requests,” then “Violations.” On a desktop or mobile browser Help page How to access Violations on the mobile app: Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.



Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.



Select “Settings and privacy.”



Scroll down and select “Help.”



Select “Support Requests.”



Select “Violations.” Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Go to your Profile page by tapping on the 👤 person icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Click on the ☰ menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Select “Settings and privacy.” Select “Settings and privacy.” Scroll down and select “Help.” Scroll down and select “Help.” Select “Support Requests.” Select “Support Requests.” Select “Violations.” Select “Violations.” Appeal Instagram’s Decision If Instagram took down your post and you don’t agree that you were in violation of the guidelines, you can request a review by following these instructions. following these instructions If you were never given the option to request a review or you’ve appealed Instagram’s decision twice and your content still hasn’t been restored, you can try escalating the issue to the Oversight Board, an organization formed to act as an independent arbiter of precedent-setting moderation decisions. The Board doesn’t take up every case that’s submitted to it, and it can move slowly, but its decisions do make a difference: In December 2023, the Board reversed two moderation decisions dealing with videos of hostages kidnapped from Israel and the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Al-Shifa Hospital. escalating the issue to the Oversight Board hostages kidnapped from Israel the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Al-Shifa Hospital If you did not get the option to request a review on deleted posts, you can submit an appeal directly on the board’s website. submit an appeal During our investigation, The Markup found that people were not given the option to appeal the decision when their activity was categorized as “spam.” Several people who posted comments criticizing the Israel–Hamas war had their comments deleted for being spam. Meta spokesperson Dani Lever denied that Instagram purposefully categorizes some user content as spam. Credits Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, Statistical Journalist
Tomas Apodaca, Journalism Engineer Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, Statistical Journalist Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett Tomas Apodaca, Journalism Engineer Tomas Apodaca Illustration Aya El Tilbani Aya El Tilbani Aya El Tilbani Graphics Joel Eastwood Joel Eastwood Joel Eastwood Art Direction Gabriel Hongsdusit Gabriel Hongsdusit Gabriel Hongsdusit Engagement Maria Puertas Maria Puertas Maria Puertas Copy Editing Emerson Malone Emerson Malone Emerson Malone Editing Soo Oh
Sisi Wei Soo Oh Soo Oh Sisi Wei Sisi Wei Also published here here Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash Martino Pietropoli Unsplash

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So You Think You've Been Shadowbanned on Instagram, Huh? How to Check and What to Do

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