Amid ongoing Instagram ban wave, Meta says it removed millions of Facebook profiles

Meta’s latest announcement about removing 10 million Facebook profiles for spam and impersonation comes at a particularly sensitive time. The tech giant is still dealing with fallout from a massive Instagram and Facebook ban wave that has affected thousands of users worldwide over the past several months.

Meta on Monday said it has removed about 10 million profiles for impersonating large content producers through the first half of 2025 as part of an effort by the company to combat “spammy content.” The company framed this as a proactive step to make Facebook feeds more authentic and relevant.

That said, while Meta celebrates its crackdown on fake accounts, legitimate users continue to struggle with wrongful suspensions from the ongoing Instagram and Facebook ban wave. I’ve been covering this story extensively, and the scale of the problem has become increasingly clear.

This Meta ban wave began in late May and escalated through June, with reports of wrongful CSE suspensions began surfacing in late May and escalated into early June 2025. Users across the globe woke up to emails stating their accounts were disabled for child exploitation violations, often without warning or clear explanation. What started as isolated incidents quickly became a widespread crisis affecting thousands of accounts.

A petition begging Meta to resolve the issues has reached north of 30,000 signatures and continues growing, highlighting the scale of user frustration. The situation has been particularly challenging for content creators and small businesses who rely on these platforms for their livelihood. One business owner affected by the ban wave was allegedly even told to “find a job” by a Meta support agent.

Recently, members of the South Korean government also tried intervening in the situation; however, the in-person meeting didn’t turn out to be as fruitful as one would have hoped.

But there are some signs that Meta is taking the review process more seriously. I found reports from users indicating that Meta support is now offering actual phone calls to help with account reviews. One user shared a 42-minute chat where the agent admitted to “countless reports” of similar bans and promised to add helpful notes to their file, though no instant fix came.

Similarly, another user shared a screenshot of a chat with Meta support where the agent admitted that “hundreds of thousands of accounts being reviewed” and that restoration can be done without appeal if an account was disabled falsely. 

This admission is particularly noteworthy because it indirectly confirms how many users have been affected by the ban wave. The fact that hundreds of thousands of accounts are currently under review suggests the problem is far more widespread than Meta has publicly acknowledged.

The review process also appears to be evolving. Meta support has indicated that accounts disabled by mistake will be restored without requiring users to go through the traditional appeal process. Here’s a screenshot someone posted on Reddit for reference:

This represents a significant shift from the company’s previous approach, where users often faced lengthy waits and multiple rejections before getting their accounts back. The fact that Meta is offering phone support and admitting to the scale of the problem represents progress, even if it comes after months of frustration for thousands of users worldwide.

But affected users aren’t resting. I found a recent post on Reddit where there’s a call to take to the streets to bring more attention to the matter. The OP is even sharing posters that people could use to raise awareness.

While the idea seems brilliant. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this getting Meta to roll back the bans immediately, unless it turns into a widespread movement around the world. That said, feel free to share your thoughts on these new developments in the comments section below.