How to Appeal
Photo courtesy of Paolo Pesce
NAVIGATING THE APPEALS PROCESS
If you believe that you were wrongly censored, we encourage you to research the appeal process (which is outlined below) and to take advantage of your right to appeal. Detailed and compelling appeal statements have a higher chance of success. Explain why you believe your work was wrongly censored and how your work abides by the community guidelines. Be sure to save your statement as you may not be able to access it once submitted.
If you believe you were wrongly censored, publicize your censorship case, send it to your community of artists and free speech activists, and share it with us at dontdeleteart@gmail.com. Collective action to support an individual appeal is most successful.
If your Instagram account was disabled:
You should still be able to log into your account. You can appeal the decision by opening the app, entering your username and password and following the on-screen prompts.
However, if the account was deleted for valid reasons, then the account cannot be restored. However, the user can open a new account.
If your Instagram post or story was taken down:
You should receive a notification from Instagram immediately following the post’s removal the next time you login to your account. To appeal, follow the prompts in this notification message and click the blue button that says “Request Review.”
If Instagram upholds their original decision to remove your post, you can appeal this decision to the Oversight Board (although the Board only takes on a handful of cases so it is unlikely the decision will be reviewed).
If Instagram reverses their initial decision and restores your post, the violation of their Instagram Community Guidelines will be removed from your account’s record.
If you get too many social media bots removing your content in a short amount of time (such as days or week), then it is more likely that your account will be disabled. It is best to take a break from Instagram, or refrain from posting images that could violate community standards for a while.
If you are shadow-banned by Instagram:
Although not a technical term used by Instagram, an Instagram Shadowban or “Downranking” is the reduced visibility of “borderline content,” or inappropriate or questionable content that does not violate the Community Guidelines or terms of service. This may entail your post not being shown on the “Explore” page or having certain hashtags removed from your post, minimizing its potential reach. Even if specific content does not explicitly violate the Instagram Community Guidelines, a post may be downranked if it is deemed unsuitable for a wide, global audience.
Although you are neither notified of it nor can you appeal a shadow-ban or downranking, you can contact Instagram Support for help by clicking: Profile > Menu > Settings > Help > Report a Problem. Be sure to mention that your posts are not reaching all of your followers or are not maximizing their potential reach, rather than mentioning a shadowban (as this is not an official term).
If your Facebook post was taken down:
You can appeal by going to your support inbox and clicking on the message with the original censorship notification. Click “Request Review,” and you can expect a response within 24 hours.
If Facebook upholds their original decision to remove your post, you can appeal this decision to the Oversight Board (although the Board only takes on a handful of cases so it is unlikely the decision will be reviewed).
Note: Facebook gives the option to “Disagree with Decision” and “Request Review.” “Disagree with Decision” offers a way to provide feedback on the decision but not to appeal (this option is only temporarily available because of Facebook’s reduced reviewer capacity due to the pandemic). To appeal, click the “Request Review” option.
If your Facebook account was disabled:
You can appeal by submitting a help form with the Facebook Help Center.
However, if the account was deleted for valid reasons, then the account cannot be restored. However, the user can open a new account.
If your Facebook page was taken down or limited in any way:
You can appeal the decision by clicking “Appeal” at the top of the page and following the prompts.
Facebook Account Status (only applicable to accounts with previous violations)
Account Status provides users with information regarding their past violations–including the penalty and rationale behind issuing the violation.
Account Status also provides information about what result a future violation would yield, such as an account removal.
Tumblr
If your post is flagged as adult content (which is not allowed on Tumblr):
You will get a notification both via email and on the banner on the flagged content.
Click “Review” to appeal the decision. Your appeal will be reviewed by a person at Tumblr (rather than an automated system) and you will receive an email when the review is complete.
Once content has already been reviewed by a person at Tumblr, it cannot be appealed again (and this will be indicated on the banner of the post)
If your Twitter account is suspended or locked:
Log into your account and submit an appeal form here.
Learn more about Twitter’s enforcement options here.
Youtube
If your content receives a strike:
You can appeal within 30 days of notification (via email and upon logging into your account) of its removal. To appeal, go to your Dashboard in YouTube Studio. Click on the Channel violations card and then click “Appeal.”
Note: If you delete the video, the strike will still remain on your account. If you get 3 strikes, your channel will be terminated.
You can only appeal each strike once.
If your content is removed:
Sign into YouTube Studio and click “Content” on the left. Hover over the “Restrictions” column on the video you want to appeal, and click “Appeal.”
If Youtube restores your post, the strike will be removed from your account. However, if the removal is upheld, the strike will remain on your account.
Vimeo
All nudity must be marked with a “mature” content rating
TikTok
If your account was banned:
Open the notification alerting you that your account was banned. Click “appeal” and follow the instructions.
If your content was removed:
You can appeal by clicking on the notification alerting you that your content was removed. Click “appeal” and follow the instructions.
You can also appeal by locating the content that was removed. Click “Community Guidelines violation: See details.,” and “Submit an appeal.”
Snapchat
Although Snapchat will remove content and restrict or delete an account citing violation of their community guidelines, they do not offer an appeal process.
If your account is suspended:
To appeal your account’s suspension, submit an appeal here.
DeviantArt
If your account is suspended:
You can submit an appeal to Customer Support here.
Regardless of whether or not your appeal is granted, this suspension will remain on your permanent record.