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I don't have an Instagram account so I tried to create one to try Threads. I used my real name and phone number but it was instantly banned as soon as it was cr

by smcf 3y ago

I don't have an Instagram account so I tried to create one to try Threads. I used my real name and phone number but it was instantly banned as soon as it was created. I submitted an appeal, which required a selfie taken while holding a piece of paper with my username on it, which I provided. The next day I got an automated email that the selfie wasn't "acceptable" (no further elaboration) and that I was permanently banned from Instagram with no route for further appeal. So overall, not the most seamless onboarding experience I've ever seen.

lakomen 3y ago
Facebook has the dating feature. I created a profile. Gave some up- and downvotes and comments. After a while of doing so a pop-up with "dating needs to be a safe place" I need to verify my identity via a video call. Are you shitting me? I didn't even do VideoID when I created a new bank account, surely I'll trust the biggest data grabbing company on the planet and give them money worth content in form of VideoID. My account was an Instagram account from 2015 which I used to create the Facebook account. That was my 2nd attempt on dating. The 1st was uninteresting. A month later, after I had deleted my instagram account I tried again and the result is what I wrote just now. The 1st attempt had no such obstacles.
nojs 3y ago
For what it’s worth, the same thing happened to me and after about 4 or 5 rounds of take a selfie, get approved, get instantly banned again I was finally approved for good. And it has worked ever since.
barbariangrunge 3y ago
When I signed up for Twitter I had something similar happen. Banned for life by an automated system, probably because I was using a vpn, with no option to appeal
dorkwood 3y ago
I couldn’t log in to Instagram for over a year due to a bug with my account. At first, there was no recourse. Then, they released Meta Verified, which offered customer support for a monthly subscription fee. It took about 50 emails back and forth (most some version of “I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do”) before they finally fixed it for me. I deleted it shortly after. I really hope all the developers and artists I follow don’t move to Threads. I’m not exactly jumping at the chance to use an Instagram product again.
- kramerger 3y ago
  At least you could close your account. My twitter account is banned. Not sure why as I've never used it. I can neither activate it or delete it, or contact support, as they all require a working account. Their entire system is falling apart, but maybe this one is intentional.
  - lakomen 3y ago
    Same. Banned at the moment of creation.
  - bobbruno 3y ago
    How can that fly if the operate in Europe, if GDPR provides the right to be forgotten? If you won’t even be acknowledged, that blocked account may contain private information about you that you must be allowed to request deletion of.
londons_explore 3y ago
They generally believe that nearly everyone living in a western nation will already be in their user database. Ie. your friends will have already uploaded your phone number to them, or you'll already have an account on one of their other products (Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram). If you are an adult and they don't have any record of you, then you're probably a fraudster, bot, scammer, or someone else they don't want, so they ban you. The way to get unbanned is to make sure at least 30 or so friends have your phone number in their contacts list synced to facebook, all with similar names, and then sign up to instagram with that phone number. I'm guessing you signed up with a burner phone and email address... Well thats not what they want...
- 12907835202 3y ago
  I can't believe that's true. I have friends who make new accounts all the time for jokes or memes. I don't think they're putting a huge amount of effort into it.
- slim 3y ago
  thak you for this explanation (it explains my similar experience with instagram)
- smcf 3y ago
  I signed up with my primary email address and phone number (non-VOIP, belongs to a carrier). I even have a WhatsApp account (also under Meta's purview) with this phone number.
- Hizonner 3y ago
  "Friends" is a funny word for people who give your contact information to Facebook.
  - barbazoo 3y ago
    Is that a realistically reasonable thing to judge someone by?
    - 3y ago
jrib 3y ago
I submitted a png that said "I value my privacy and will not submit a photo of myself" with black text on a white background. My account was reinstated. Found it pretty funny.
- KSPAtlas 3y ago
  Wonder if it was automated image detection or some person who was checking the selfies decided to let you in
- Validus 3y ago
  I just submitted the same - lets see what they say
  - Validus 3y ago
    Update: The account wasn't approved.
jimmySixDOF 3y ago
It's outrageous they refuse to allow user defined and owned identities. This is where government oversight is needed to give sovereign identity to the account owner not Meta or any other databroker dressed up as a platform provider.
- malermeister 3y ago
  That's part of what the EU is trying to do with the Digital Markets act, and also the reason Threads isn't available there yet.
tlhunter 3y ago
I had the exact same experience several months ago.
miduil 3y ago
same by me :(, the mail in plaintext was like the most ridiculous part. just sad because lost some twitter mutuals who are only also on Instagram
el_benhameen 3y ago
Hey, props to you for making it that far. I tried to choose an already-taken username and the creation flow shat the bed and booted me.
tr3ntg 3y ago
Interesting. Not long ago I created an alt FB account using all fake data about myself, the only real thing was my selfie matching the username. Except I was approved instantly. I wonder what the pass/fail rate is for this system.
bitcharmer 3y ago
Had a very similar experience with creating Instagram account a while back. It's pretty stupid but in the end I think it was for the better.
LegitShady 3y ago
Some years ago I tried to sign up for Twitter and got immediately banned for suspicious activity (following interesting people?). They required I scan my photo id with address to unlock the account. I told them to go fuck themselve

by smcf 3y ago

lakomen 3y ago

Facebook has the dating feature. I created a profile. Gave some up- and downvotes and comments. After a while of doing so a pop-up with "dating needs to be a safe place" I need to verify my identity via a video call. Are you shitting me? I didn't even do VideoID when I created a new bank account, surely I'll trust the biggest data grabbing company on the planet and give them money worth content in form of VideoID. My account was an Instagram account from 2015 which I used to create the Facebook account. That was my 2nd attempt on dating. The 1st was uninteresting. A month later, after I had deleted my instagram account I tried again and the result is what I wrote just now. The 1st attempt had no such obstacles.

nojs 3y ago

For what it’s worth, the same thing happened to me and after about 4 or 5 rounds of take a selfie, get approved, get instantly banned again I was finally approved for good. And it has worked ever since.

barbariangrunge 3y ago

When I signed up for Twitter I had something similar happen. Banned for life by an automated system, probably because I was using a vpn, with no option to appeal

dorkwood 3y ago

I couldn’t log in to Instagram for over a year due to a bug with my account. At first, there was no recourse. Then, they released Meta Verified, which offered customer support for a monthly subscription fee. It took about 50 emails back and forth (most some version of “I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do”) before they finally fixed it for me. I deleted it shortly after. I really hope all the developers and artists I follow don’t move to Threads. I’m not exactly jumping at the chance to use an Instagram product again.

kramerger 3y ago
At least you could close your account. My twitter account is banned. Not sure why as I've never used it. I can neither activate it or delete it, or contact support, as they all require a working account. Their entire system is falling apart, but maybe this one is intentional.
- lakomen 3y ago
  Same. Banned at the moment of creation.
- bobbruno 3y ago
  How can that fly if the operate in Europe, if GDPR provides the right to be forgotten? If you won’t even be acknowledged, that blocked account may contain private information about you that you must be allowed to request deletion of.

londons_explore 3y ago

They generally believe that nearly everyone living in a western nation will already be in their user database. Ie. your friends will have already uploaded your phone number to them, or you'll already have an account on one of their other products (Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram). If you are an adult and they don't have any record of you, then you're probably a fraudster, bot, scammer, or someone else they don't want, so they ban you. The way to get unbanned is to make sure at least 30 or so friends have your phone number in their contacts list synced to facebook, all with similar names, and then sign up to instagram with that phone number. I'm guessing you signed up with a burner phone and email address... Well thats not what they want...

12907835202 3y ago
I can't believe that's true. I have friends who make new accounts all the time for jokes or memes. I don't think they're putting a huge amount of effort into it.
slim 3y ago
thak you for this explanation (it explains my similar experience with instagram)
smcf 3y ago
I signed up with my primary email address and phone number (non-VOIP, belongs to a carrier). I even have a WhatsApp account (also under Meta's purview) with this phone number.
Hizonner 3y ago
"Friends" is a funny word for people who give your contact information to Facebook.
- barbazoo 3y ago
  Is that a realistically reasonable thing to judge someone by?
  - 3y ago

jrib 3y ago

I submitted a png that said "I value my privacy and will not submit a photo of myself" with black text on a white background. My account was reinstated. Found it pretty funny.

KSPAtlas 3y ago
Wonder if it was automated image detection or some person who was checking the selfies decided to let you in
Validus 3y ago
I just submitted the same - lets see what they say
- Validus 3y ago
  Update: The account wasn't approved.

jimmySixDOF 3y ago

It's outrageous they refuse to allow user defined and owned identities. This is where government oversight is needed to give sovereign identity to the account owner not Meta or any other databroker dressed up as a platform provider.

malermeister 3y ago
That's part of what the EU is trying to do with the Digital Markets act, and also the reason Threads isn't available there yet.

tlhunter 3y ago

I had the exact same experience several months ago.

miduil 3y ago

same by me :(, the mail in plaintext was like the most ridiculous part. just sad because lost some twitter mutuals who are only also on Instagram

el_benhameen 3y ago

Hey, props to you for making it that far. I tried to choose an already-taken username and the creation flow shat the bed and booted me.

tr3ntg 3y ago

Interesting. Not long ago I created an alt FB account using all fake data about myself, the only real thing was my selfie matching the username. Except I was approved instantly. I wonder what the pass/fail rate is for this system.

bitcharmer 3y ago

Had a very similar experience with creating Instagram account a while back. It's pretty stupid but in the end I think it was for the better.

LegitShady 3y ago

Some years ago I tried to sign up for Twitter and got immediately banned for suspicious activity (following interesting people?). They required I scan my photo id with address to unlock the account. I told them to go fuck themselve