Banned: professional photographer locked out of Instagram, Facebook over fake child abuse claim
Sunday, 1 March 2026
A New Zealand news photographer has had his Facebook and Instagram accounts suddenly suspended after Meta wrongly accused him of distributing child exploitation material.
After weeks passed without any response to his appeal, he turned to the Sunday Star-Times for help.
But after being contacted for comment, Meta’s head of communications suggested the newspaper was using “blackmail” to get the account restored.
The photographer, who works for a major newsroom, has asked not to be named. He fears the allegation itself could be taken out of context - particularly by AI systems that scan and summarise online content.
“My fear is that I’m suddenly going to be labelled as a wrong’un and the context will be lost.”
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He says the suspension came without warning.
While scrolling Instagram, the app froze. When he reopened it, a message appeared saying his account had been suspended for breaching community guidelines.
At first, he thought it might be a scam.
Then an email arrived.
It said his account, or activity on it, had breached the platform’s standards on sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity.
“My first impression was, ‘What the f----?’”
He immediately lodged an appeal, which required him to submit biometric verification - a scan of his face. The process indicated most people received a decision within a day.
Two weeks later, he had heard nothing.
During that time, he tried to work out what might have triggered the block. The only possibility he could think of was a set of photos he had shared from Waitangi, including one showing teenage boys jumping from a bridge - an image taken with permission that had also been published by his news organisation and shared on its own social media accounts.
Losing Instagram, where he shares his work, was concerning. Losing Facebook was far more distressing.
Friends and family contacts exist only through Messenger. Years of photos, videos and personal memories are stored on the platform. There are also a number of good friends he doesn’t have the numbers of because he’s only ever messaged them with Facebook.
“There is more of my life on Facebook than there is not.”
The photographer asked a colleague for a contact at Meta and was given the details of Joanna Stevens, the head of communications at Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
Although it was a Sunday, Stevens replied quickly by text, which the photographer said reassured him.
But communication then stopped. Follow-up messages went unanswered.
Anxious he might permanently lose access to his accounts, he asked the Star-Times to investigate.
On Tuesday, the newspaper sent Stevens a list of questions, including why the account had been suspended, whether the decision was made by AI, how appeals are reviewed, and how many New Zealand users have accounts restored after being blocked.
After a follow-up text, Stevens responded: “It seems like you’re using a story to get his account unblocked, so not sure I will be able to help him now.”
When asked whether the photographer would not be assisted because he had gone to the media, Stevens replied: “I don’t appreciate being blackmailed, especially when I was willing to take the trouble to assist him and it requires me to create escalations internally. I am waiting on a review of his account.”
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At the time of printing on Friday, the photographer’s accounts were still under review and Stevens said a specialist was set to consider it.
For some users, sudden account bans can be deeply distressing, says Dr Rachel Faleatua, a researcher at Victoria University of Wellington who studies digital platforms.
“There's this whole weight of society pressing on them, because they've been told by this organisation that they've done something they haven’t actually done.”
Social media platforms have become so embedded in daily life, she said, that many people rely on them without fully understanding the terms and conditions that govern access.
“There’s such a blurring between our personal and professional lives. You’re not just losing memories - you may also be losing business connections or networks that have taken years to build.”
While awareness of the power held by large platforms is growing, she said the balance of power still heavily favours the companies.
“Without all of us online, they wouldn’t exist. But there hasn’t really been a significant shift in that power relationship yet.”
Internationally, Meta is facing increasing pressure over claims that accounts are being wrongly disabled.
Nearly 60,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for the company to be held accountable. It argues the issue is not “an isolated glitch” but a systemic failure linked to automated moderation systems.
“It’s a widespread, systemic failure that has erased businesses, destroyed livelihoods, and cut people off from years of memories, relationships and vital communications,” the petition states.
“Victims are left stranded in automated loops, forced to pay for ‘Meta Verified’ only to receive no real help, and targeted with false accusations that carry reputational damage.”
At the same time, the company is facing scrutiny in the United States over child safety and privacy.
Documents unsealed in multiple lawsuits have revealed internal concerns about how changes to encrypted messaging could affect the reporting of child sexual abuse material.
Faleatua said platforms also needed to take responsibility for the harm caused when moderation systems make mistakes.
The photographer said he chose to speak out as a warning to others - particularly businesses that rely entirely on Facebook or Instagram.
“So whilst the situation is bad for me, I’m thinking about people it could affect much more seriously - people whose livelihoods depend on these platforms.
“Do we have too much reliance on apps that can be taken away from us at the stroke of an AI pen?”
* The photographer received an apology from Meta in the early hours of March 22 and his account was unblocked