Got Banned From Facebook? Here Are The Possible Reasons Why!
Today it is impossible to imagine a successful ecommerce business that doesn’t use Facebook and Instagram advertising. However, Facebook is famous for being extremely suspicious and banning lots of accounts. In this article, I will tell you why people get banned from Facebook, how you can avoid it and how to appeal a Facebook ban.
What is a Facebook ban?
A Facebook ban is when you are temporarily or permanently denied access to your personal account or when your business page becomes invisible (unpublished) or permanently deleted. It can happen for a variety of reasons and can have various consequences. In the worst case scenario, you won’t be able to restore the pages by any means.
What happens when you get banned from Facebook?
Facebook and Instagram advertising are a must for any online business including dropshipping stores.
From this perspective, Mark Zuckerberg has created something outstanding. But getting blocked on Facebook isn’t just an unpleasant annoyance.
Sometimes, Facebook only imposes restrictions on what you can do for a time. For example, it can ban you from posting for several days. Harsh, but you can live with that. But for more serious violations, it can disable your page permanently.
When you use Facebook advertising as your main source of customers, losing access to the account can kill your business. You can’t post anything, can’t launch, start or even stop advertising campaigns in Ads Manager, can’t respond to other Facebook users (your customers) – can’t do anything.
A lot of people report getting banned from Facebook for no reason. Although Facebook’s AI does make mistakes, there’s always a cause. Facebook even provides users with Terms and Policies explaining why their accounts may get banned. However, it’s often difficult to tell which rule you violated.
Most of the problems arise from the fact that it’s Facebook’s AI that blocks accounts. After it happens, one can file an appeal, and that’s when you get to talk to real people. But until then, every activity on Facebook is monitored by a computer whose algorithms are very formal.
How long does a Facebook ban last?
How long a Facebook ban can last depends on what you violated and how often. For repeat offenses, the block can last up to 30 days. But it’s not the worst part. In certain circumstances, an account can be banned permanently with no way to unblock it.
AliDropship’s team is well familiar with the problem. That’s why we’ve decided to share our own thoughts with customers.
Here’s the list of uncommon reasons why Facebook bans your account according to AliDropship’s experience.
How to get banned from Facebook (personal page)?
You need a personal Facebook account to manage your Facebook business account. If it gets banned, you won’t be able to launch new ads or even stop your current ads!
You probably already know the most common reasons why Facebook can suspend a page like hate speech, threats, spam and so on. But here are some less common actions that’ll get you blocked on Facebook for sure.
1. Follow suspicious groups or add suspicious people to the friends list
Having one or two people whom Facebook considers suspicious among your friends is Ok, just like following one or two suspicious groups. But if the platform’s AI finds too many, it can think that you’re going to use the account for something prohibited.
So, treat your personal Facebook page just like a regular user who wants nothing to do with shady characters or groups.
2. Perform too much or too little activity
If you follow too many people, or post too much, or like too many posts within a short time, Facebook thinks you’re a spammer or a bot. At the same time, if your account demonstrates no activity at all, Facebook thinks it’s fake. Avoid such deviations from the norm.
3. Use Facebook business account only
Another way to get banned from Facebook is to ignore your personal page and use the business account only. From the AI’s perspective, you look like someone who created a personal page only to get access to a business account and now you’re going to spam ads all over the platform.
Even careful people with business accounts get banned from Facebook. Sometimes it happens by mistake; sometimes the real reason remains unclear. In any case, make sure you’re not the only one with access to Ads Manager. Otherwise, if you get blocked, you won’t be able to stop advertising campaigns, so your money will go to waste. Give access to a relative or a friend you can trust.
How to get banned from Facebook (business page)?
Facebook groups are created not only by media companies, but by businesses as well. Although one can advertise standalone products on Facebook with just a personal page and Ads Manager, it’s a good idea to also create a page for your dropshipping store.
It’ll let you build a community around the brand and the niche it occupies. After all, Facebook is visited by 2.6 billion users every month.
But Facebook can block a group page as well. Here’s how you can make it happen.
1. Delete comments
This is one of the less obvious ways to get banned on Facebook. Whenever you dislike someone’s opinion, you can either delete or hide a comment. While hiding them is considered Ok, when you delete comments, Facebook thinks you’re trying to hide the truth from your customers.
2. Don’t try to respond to customers’ complaints
Simply hiding comments seems like a good solution. But it won’t last long. If a business ignores complaints, its reputation suffers, and Facebook can decide that it doesn’t want disreputable retailers. So, make sure to do your best to satisfy angry customers.
3. Make someone who broke Facebook rules the admin of the store
Facebook doesn’t forget what you did. For example, if you post offending content for the first time, Facebook may block you from posting for the next 24 hours. But if you do it again, the account may get banned.
Allowing someone who broke Facebook policies before to become the admin of your store’s page won’t necessarily get it banned. But it’ll negatively affect its statistics.
4. When creating ads, use pictures different from actual products
And not just pictures. Any kind of mismatch between an ad and the actual product it advertises can lead to getting blocked on Facebook. This is how the platform punishes businesses that try to misinform clients. If you want to get banned from Facebook, go ahead and lie about the price, the colors, models, etc.
5. Use automation tools too much
Probably all social media hate auto-posting and bots. First of all, when somebody uses a bot to create a Facebook page, it is probably because this person is trying to hide his or her identity. Second, if an account is managed by a bot, it can start publishing dozens of posts with spam content, which nobody wants.
As a result, when one uses such tools too much (not only to auto-post but to follow and like other users as well), Facebook can ban the page.
How to appeal a Facebook ban?
1. If Facebook suspended your personal page
Any kind of policy violation often results in Facebook suspending your personal page. In this case, when trying to login, you will find the following message.
You need to send them a photo of yourself or your ID to confirm that the account wasn’t stolen. After that, all you can do is wait.
Checking the personal information can take several days. After that, you will be either asked for more proofs or allowed to login.
2. If Facebook refuses to unblock your page
Facebook can also decide to disable your account permanently, and you’ll see this:
In this case, you can appeal the ban by clicking on the “Go to Help Center”. On that page, click on “Let us know”.
And again, you’ll be asked to upload a photo of yourself or your ID with more detailed information, after which you’ll have to wait.
3. If Facebook unpublished a business page
If a policy violation comes from your business page, it’ll be unpublished by Facebook, i.e. nobody except you will be able to see it on the platform. Sometimes the warning looks like this:
Sometimes it looks like this:
To make it visible again, you can try filing an appeal. Click on “Disagree with the decision” or “Appeal” (depending on what message you received). Then wait for Facebook’s final decision.
If you don’t have time to wait or Facebook has deleted the page permanently, you can recreate the page by making an exact copy of the previous one. However, you should take into account the mistakes you made to prevent similar situations in future.
4. If Facebook disabled your ad account
In the worst-case scenario, Facebook can disable your ad account. As a result, you will lose access to all your ads and campaigns.
It can happen for a number of reasons, but in general, the decision to ban your account comes from repeated violations of Facebook’s policies, numerous disapproved ads or a lot of complaints and angry reactions from users. If you didn’t do something really terrible, there’s a chance to restore the account. Just follow the instructions on this page.
If it didn’t help and Facebook refuses to restore your ad account, you will have to create a new one. That’s why you need to be really careful not to break Facebook rules and policies.
Stay in the Game: Navigating Around the Facebook Ban Minefield
Let’s face it, the very last phrase any online store owner wants to hear is “banned from Facebook”. A whirlwind of questions can sweep over you: Why me? What did I do wrong? Is this the end of my online venture? Worry not, fellow dropshippers, the reasons behind these bans often boil down to one central principle – Facebook’s determination to safeguard its users’ welfare. As an entrepreneur, it’s imperative to comprehend the motives behind these bans and how to sidestep the so-called Facebook Jail.
So, let’s dive into some crucial tips to navigate around this issue.
1. Authenticity is Key
Facebook’s keen eye for quality often results in bans targeting dropshippers marketing inferior products. But hey, just because you’re a dropshipper doesn’t mean you can’t get your hands on the actual goods, right? Consider requesting samples from your suppliers or purchasing the products yourself. This allows you to capture authentic images of your merchandise, providing your potential customers with a transparent preview of what they’re investing in. Remember, if your product drastically deviates from its advertised image, you might find disgruntled customers complaining under your posts or even reporting you to Facebook.
2. Craft Your Posts with Care
When it comes to your posts, it’s not just about what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it. Steer clear of Facebook’s red flag topics such as politics, religion, discrimination, tobacco, sexual content, and other sensitive subjects. Honesty and transparency should be your watchwords, ensuring you steer clear of any negative baits that could potentially lead to being banned from Facebook.
3. Be Mindful of Your Social Connections
Be cautious with who you add and tag in your posts. Frantically adding strangers can wave a glaring red flag to Facebook, which may categorize your activity as spam. Avoid tagging individuals directly in your photos, particularly if they’re not related to the content. Instead, use the comments section to mention them sparingly. And remember, no longer is it allowed to openly ask for likes, comments, or shares in exchange for prizes.
4. Ditch the Spam
It’s no secret – Facebook has no time for spam. Be creative with your posts and say no to spammy images or content. Try not to bombard random people with promotional messages and be respectful of others’ profiles and business pages. Overdoing it with posts or messages can easily mark you as a spammer and get you banned from Facebook.
5. Keep Business and Personal Separate
Setting up a standalone business account can work wonders in solidifying your credibility and reputation. It shows seriousness in your enterprise and helps avoid complications in executing a successful social media strategy.
6. Mind Your Links and Landing Page
Shorter, succinct links give your posts a professional sheen. Remember, Facebook doesn’t just look at your ad or post; it scans your landing page too. Make sure it’s consistent with your ad, doesn’t appear spammy, and you’re not advertising the same products on a different domain with the same ad account.
7. Wise Automation
Automation can be a double-edged sword if not handled wisely. Overdoing it might risk your business getting banned from Facebook. It’s all about balance and clever scheduling. If you do use automated scripts, do them in moderation, making sure they mimic human behaviour. Even better, consider hiring an expert company that specializes in automating dropshipping tasks, which could safeguard your account from coming across as robotic to Facebook.
8. Embrace Positivity
Stay positive, friends! Facebook tends to favor posts that exude positivity, so try to infuse as much optimism into your posts as possible. Maintain a positive atmosphere in the comments section of your posts as well, keeping it welcoming and friendly. Not only will this approach help evade potential bans, but it also can attract more customers and stimulate engagements.
9. Quality over Quantity
Last but certainly not least, prioritize the quality of your products. Ensure that your product’s real-life quality matches its online description. Ship your items promptly, as any delay can affect customer satisfaction and possibly trigger a Facebook ban. By offering top-notch products, you not only safeguard your business but also enhance your reputation among your clientele.
Getting banned from Facebook is a serious setback for any online store, but with these tips in mind, you can skillfully sidestep potential pitfalls and continue to thrive on this vital platform. Remember, at the end of the day, the key to lasting success lies in genuine products, transparent marketing, and respectful engagement with your audience.
All the experience AliDropship’s team gains from managing our own shops helps us minimize the risk of getting banned from Facebook. It is also used to create Established Stores – unique dropshipping websites that have the most profitable products and active social media accounts. By purchasing one of them, you become the sole owner of an already working business!
I just unpacked my Premium Store Marketing Package worth USD 200, picked up the first tried and tested ad campaign for a specific product and set up the ad campaign with two (out of 5 creatives given by Alidropship) with no changes at all. The campaign ran for 24 hours and then my Ad account got banned for violating FB policies.
If Alidropship sold me a tried and tested marketing package for USD 200, how come FB has disabled my Ad Account for the very first ad for violating its policies? Am feeling a bit shortchanged by AliDropship. Kindly help. Thanks
Hello, Saurav. Thank you very much for using our products.
As for your question, Facebook uses AI algorithms to identify potential policy violations and ban them automatically. However, the system isn’t that smart and often bans ads and posts by mistake. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your ad. I suggest that you contact Facebook customer service and ask them to check your ad manually. Things like this happen all the time unfortunately.
Hallo Saurav Sen.
my name is Stacy and I have a similar problem…was your problem solved? And how?
kindly let me know I will appreciate.
hello saurav,I too faced this same problem and now I am stuck .Did u manage to lift the ban.If not creating another account helped u or not?kindly reply
I get banned no matter what I do if someone reports me for 30 days. It’s usually not against TOS there’s no way to appeal or question it. If one person reports I’m banned regardless. It’s B.S. I’ve had facebook for for 13 years.
Same thing happened to me. Facebook is really a piece of garbage platform that treats its users Like trash. They’ve literally made themselves INACCESSIBLE to its users. You can’t speak to ANYONE there. It’s literally ran by A.I. they gives automated responses that doesn’t fix your problem.
Shortest Facebook banning on record. I was invited to establish a Facebook account to simplify communications with others in two Facebook groups. Nov 2, account opened, Nov 5, account “disabled”. Trying to navigate Facebook for a novice is daunting enough….I’m not 14.
Clearly by merely requesting to join groups is enough to get one banned. But while I waiting to get approved for the groups, it seems that by merely reading posts by others containing threats, racial insults, sexual innuendos and blatant bullying is also sufficient to get you banned.
But here’s the twist, in order to “un-block” my account they wanted me to send in my private phone number along with two copies of my photo ID (one must either be a drivers license or passport) Talk about a scam! I’ve lived for 55yrs without bloody social media, and thus demanding that a person hand over highly confidential details to some organisation that blocks its users from contacting them directly is pure and simple ransom. I’ll sleep better knowing that I’m in charge of my personal life and not some AI bot. Cheers, Jason
Just to clarify, The groups I was invited to join were Deep Sky Astronomers and Climate Science discussion. I perused other sites and profiles just getting to know how Facebook worked and came across some pretty distasteful commentary.
Cheers, Thanks. Jason
That’s tough! We at AliDropship know how it feels. Sometimes Facebook acts very unreasonably. But if that’s how you promote your business, there’s no choice but to comply.
What if I can’t post on groups? Can this be permanent?
Hello, Hector. It’s hard to tell without seeing what exactly is happening in your account. Does Facebook forbid you publishing posts that contain a link to your website? If that’s the case, try checking your domain here: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
Facebook could have banned it for its own (sometimes very unclear) reasons.
This is terrible, my personal account has blocked my business account has blocked with no reason whatsoever.
The worst case is that you cannot contact with nobody I’m losing so many customers I’m losing my business right now thanks to Facebook that has blocked everything that I owned.
That’s harsh. Keep trying to get your accounts unbanned. Or try to recreate them. Don’t give up!
I was banned from facebook for 30 days for posting photos of Trump kissing his daughter. Funny thing is, I’ve seen the exact same photo posted by others after I was kicked off but they weren’t. I’m kicked off right now for telling a gun nut who’s profile photo is of him caressing his semi automatic rife “to try and be kinder to yourself l’il Jeffy”. FB deemed that as bullying. But it was all good for this man to call me a b*tch and a few other choice names. Tired of the hypocrisy and misogyny.
That’s just so Facebook-ish…
My husband has been permanently banned for no apparent reason. He had only joined a few days ago, had only a few friends- mostly family and only joined one group – an aircraft spotters recognised group – a lifelong hobby of his.
He has posted nothing except pictures of places we have visited. He is 70 years old with copd . He was asked to show I.d. which he did and was then permanently
barred. I can only think they think it’s a fake account as our daughter is named Phillippa and he is Phillip with same surname but can’t see how to contest this. He is very upset and it has reinforced his negative views of Facebook .
I know a guy whose account was banned before it was approved. I mean, the guy never even finished registration.
Every time I post something the Algorithm flags it gives me the option to delete. But I still get banned.
Could you be more specific, please? I don’t think I understand what you mean.
I had two comments removed as spam. They were both links to the text of a bill on our own government website. FB flagged them as spam.
Today I replied to a guy while discussing the latest murder of a black kid, and instead of understanding the text of the comment, the algorithm removed it because it contained certain words like kill and murder. I am now banned for 30 days because of these comments.
When I tried to submit a form with my explanation of the three comments, and asked to have them reviewed, as soon as I hit submit, I got an error saying it wasn’t available and to try back later.
This is becoming unacceptable.
Yeah, with Facebook, you have to be extra careful. Think at least three times before posting anything. But even in this case, you may still end up getting banned.
It is difficult to comply with standards that are vague. What is liking, commenting, or posting too often, too much, or too whatever? FB is inconsistent and the rules seem to change daily, as noted by others here.
FB banns users when they start posting, commenting, or liking more/less often than they used to. So, if you’re very active on FB and then suddenly stop your activity, expect a ban. Although I can’t argue with your statement about seemingly daily changes.
I just feel soo frustrated ,my business Facebook account has be restricted….I bought my premium store with the marketing packaging which comes with the premium from Alidropshipping. Immediately after running my first campaigns with the creatives which I got from Alidropshipping marketing package my business account was disabled and to review my account they requested for my Identification which I applauded and its been three days and have not heard from them.
I would like to know which policy I violated and the creatives I bought from Alidropshipping.
Anyone who went through the same ?I would like to know.
Kindly someone help me out.
Hello, Stacy.
Unfortunately, that happens regularly with Facbook. All you can do is wait for the response from FB’s support team. If they don’t respond, you’ll have to create a new account. As of now, it’s the only way to deal with regular bans.
I was in FB jail for 30 days and disagreed with the decision. I cannot comprehend how some of the filth on FB is allowable yet a random bot decides to misinterpret a statement I made. So I asked for adjudication (or human intervention, or whatever current term is used for a second opinion) and nothing happened. It seems the FB pages for redress/ counter-view conveniently don’t work (and I have screendumps recording this). Bottom line, what are the alternatives to FB?
PS There are many memes on this same idea: “I got banned from FB for posting an image I found on FB.” FB is getting too big to be reliable or responsible.
There are alternatives to FB but they cannot compare with FB in terms of the number of potential customers. Regular unmotivated bans are one of the indicators that Facebook is dying (at least, it will if it doesn’t change). But this process will take a lot of time. You can read more about it here:https://alidropship.com/is-facebook-dying/
Due to premium products ads my business ad account also permanently disabled in Nov 2020 and tried to make new one but again they disabled. The main reason is video which provided by alidropship and another reason when customers commenting not received the product due to more shipping time and give angry comment and reactions. When alidropship know Facebook and Instagram is heart of dropshipping and you are expert so provide the way so you can personally check the ads and provide the account access on your behalf. Now I can’t use business manager accounts and advertising so how can I survive now ?
Hello, Mukesh.
All the marketing materials we offer along with our products are tested by our team. But if Facebook didn’t ban you today, it doesn’t mean it won’t do it tomorrow.
Unfortunately, such things are beyond our control. Facebook may disable any ad, account, page, or link by mistake without any warnings. You should request Facebook to review your ad/account/page and provide all the information Facebook needs, then please wait for their answer. I hope they will recover your ad/account/page as soon as possible.
Hi Timur,
Thanks for your valuable reply.
Actually Facebook clearly mentioned you can’t create new account as well as their final decision is permanently disabled my ad account. As I am reading your suggestion where simply mentioned create New Account but How ?
What kind of details we required for create new account as I am trying with my same laptop, same name and same mobile number then again banned and people are suggesting on fb groups to make new account with all new details only even use new Laptop, Mobile phone and number and Payment details which is never used before on fb and create the account from another profile as our data is already with fb and again chances to get disable the account when system will match the information.
I request you please share you experience as you have so many clients if anyone successfully made and running new account so kindly suggest us also.
I’m afraid people from the groups you’ve mentioned are right. If you can’t restore your previous account, you’ll have to make a completely new one – with a new phone number, etc. Sounds tough, but that’s how Facebook works, and there’s nothing you can do.
hey, I am “IamHelper YT” from Facebook. Today I got restricted from Facebook and I cannot do anything
it keeps asking for a phone number
but unfortunately I don’t have a phone number but why did I get banned? there must be a reason for it
I cant neither see the reason why I got banned
I don’t post any content on Facebook and I only have 1 friend. I created this account just because I can have contact with my friend.
Well, my friend did not respond since yesterday, so I kept a message every few hours
is there anything bad or illegal in what I have done?
and how do I get unbanned and get to use Facebook again?
Hello, Helper.
My guess is FB banned you exactly because you have only one friend. If you don’t make new friends, don’t join groups and communities, don’t watch videos/posts, don’t post anything, you look suspicious to FB. If you had a phone number, the ban would have probably been removed. Without it, I suggest that you try contacting the support and convincing them to let you confirm your identity some other way.
On the other hand, if all you need is a communication channel with one friend and nothing else, maybe Facebook wasn’t the best choice and you could use some other channel like emails or Zoom.
nicee