Pinterest admits mistake, says internal error caused over-enforcement of rules which lead to mass account deactivations

Pinterest has quietly acknowledged that a software glitch led to the mass deactivation of user accounts earlier this month. In posts on Instagram and X, the company said an internal error caused its safety filters to swing too hard. “We’re committed to making Pinterest the safest, most positive place on the internet. We recently took action on violations of our content policies, but an internal error led to over-enforcement and some accounts were mistakenly deactivated. We’re sorry for the frustration this caused,” the message read.

The apology came after a wave of complaints began popping up online last month, as we highlighted. Users across Instagram, TikTok and X shared screenshots showing locks on their accounts with no clear explanation. By April 30 we noticed that some users had even received emails telling them they were permanently banned. A couple of days later, we noticed that some users started getting their accounts back, while the folks over at Pinterest were simply asking affected users to DM them.

Mainstream tech outlets picked up the story as well. On May 2 The Verge described “sweeping pin removals and account suspensions” that left people baffled. Some of the pins flagged for “adult content” included innocent topics like quilting magazines and Minecraft bunk beds.

Furthermore, since then, all recent posts from Pinterest on Instagram have garnered dozens of comments from users asking to reinstate their accounts. With so much chatter, it’s clear the company wouldn’t be able to remain silent and eventually issued the statements on Instagram and X.

It’s not clear whether human staff or an automated system had tripped the alarm. Earlier, speculation grew that an AI moderation algorithm might have gone haywire. Pinterest’s apology did not address that directly. Instead, the company said it has already reinstated many of the affected accounts. It also promised “improvements to respond faster when mistakes happen going forward.”

Pinterest allows users to appeal deactivations, but throughout the ordeal, many people said they hit dead ends. Appeal notices warned that the reviews were delayed because the team was dealing with a higher volume of requests than usual. For some, sending a direct message was the only way to get a reply.

In its apology the company thanked users for their patience as it worked to make things right. It did not give a firm timeline for completing all the restorations. But the promise to overhaul its error response suggests Pinterest wants to avoid a repeat. After weeks of confusion and anger, I’m sure many users will be relieved to know that they will likely get their accounts back.