Social Media Platform Account Suspensions: Digital Ministry Reports Nearly 90% of Wrongfully Blocked Accounts Restored

(Taipei, June 17, CNA reporter Pan Tzu-yu) Meta's social platforms Threads, Instagram, and Facebook have recently reported sudden account suspension incidents without prior notice. The Ministry of Digital Development (MODD) announced today that Meta has committed to resolving the issue through a 'proactive detection, proactive restoration' approach. According to data collected by MODD, as of 4:00 PM today, nearly 90% of accounts wrongfully suspended have been restored.

Starting late on June 14, a technical issue in Meta's age verification mechanism led to global users of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads experiencing wrongful account suspensions.

In a press release today, MODD stated that to protect the rights of Taiwanese users, it has required Meta to adopt a 'proactive detection, proactive restoration' policy for wrongfully suspended accounts, simplifying the restoration process and reducing the burden on individual users to file appeals.

For known media organizations and public figures affected by wrongful suspensions, MODD has compiled a list of nearly 100 cases and demanded Meta complete unblocking by 6:00 PM today. MODD will continue monitoring the situation, urging Meta to safeguard citizens' access rights while reviewing existing age verification mechanisms and technical tools to prevent similar misjudgments.

MODD added that Australia became the first country globally in December of 114 (2025) to ban social media use for minors under 16, with the UK recently announcing plans to follow suit. In response to child safety demands, Meta launched global youth online safety measures and age verification systems in May, aiming to automatically identify users under 13. However, due to technical flaws, users worldwide—regardless of region or group—were mistakenly flagged and suspended by the system.

MODD emphasized that while the goal of protecting minors online is commendable, users should not bear the cost or administrative burden of Meta's technical shortcomings. Since the morning of June 15, MODD has proactively requested Meta Taiwan to expedite restoration efforts for suspended accounts.

Following direct negotiations between MODD and Meta's senior executives, Meta committed to 'proactively detect and restore' wrongfully suspended accounts, conducting internal audits to identify and reinstate affected accounts. Existing appeal channels will remain open, allowing users who have not yet been restored to file appeals through standard procedures.

MODD estimates that over 200 media organizations and non-partisan public figures in Taiwan, along with thousands of individual accounts, were wrongfully suspended. Some accounts, due to their high public visibility, were more susceptible to abuse of reporting functions by malicious actors, leading to prioritized erroneous suspensions by the system.

MODD confirmed that wrongfully suspended accounts are being gradually restored. Media outlets including the Central News Agency, Public Television, and Formosa Television have had their accounts reinstated. Public figures such as former President Chen Shui-bian, former DPP legislator Chen Po-wei, KMT New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Sih-chuan, KMT Youth League, former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je, and Taipei City Councilor Huang Jing-ying have also had their accounts restored.

However, MODD noted that new wrongful suspensions continue to occur, and some accounts have been re-flagged and suspended after restoration. Meta responded that, after intensive troubleshooting, the technical error has been preliminarily resolved. (Edited by Chang Liang-chih) 1150617