[Life] Social Media Platform Suspension Disaster - Digital Ministry: Nearly 90% of mistakenly banned accounts have been restored.
bellala 央廣4h ago
Meta's social media platforms Threads, Instagram, and Facebook have recently experienced unannounced account suspensions. The Digital Development Ministry (DDM) stated today (17th) that Meta has pledged to implement a "proactive detection, proactive restoration" approach starting immediately. According to the notification data held by the DDM, as of 4 PM today, nearly 90% of mistakenly suspended accounts have been restored.
Starting late on the 14th, Meta encountered technical issues while implementing its age verification mechanism, leading to the mistaken suspension of accounts for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads users globally.
The DDM issued a press release today, stating that to protect the rights of Taiwanese users, it has requested Meta to "proactively detect and proactively restore" mistakenly suspended accounts, simplifying the restoration process and reducing inconvenience for users applying individually.
For media organizations and public figures known to have been mistakenly suspended, the DDM has compiled a list of nearly a hundred individuals and requested Meta to complete the unblocking by 6 PM today. The DDM will continue to monitor the situation, demand Meta to safeguard the rights of Taiwanese citizens, and review the current age verification mechanisms and technical tools to prevent similar misjudgments from recurring.
The DDM further explained that Australia will be the first globally to implement a social media ban for minors under 16 in December 2025, with the UK recently announcing plans to follow suit. In response to child protection needs, Meta launched global online safety measures and age verification mechanisms for teenagers in May this year, proactively identifying users under 13. However, due to technical issues, users worldwide, regardless of region or ethnicity, were mistakenly suspended by the system.
The DDM emphasized that while the concept of protecting children's online safety is commendable, users should not bear the cost and administrative burden of Meta's incomplete technology. Starting from the morning of the 15th, the DDM proactively requested Meta Taiwan to expedite the restoration of suspended accounts.
Following direct negotiations between the DDM and Meta's senior management, Meta has committed to "proactive detection and proactive restoration" measures for mistakenly suspended accounts. They will proactively identify and restore accounts affected by this wave of misjudgments. Existing appeal channels will remain available for users who find their accounts have not yet been restored.
The DDM explained that it is estimated that over 200 media organizations, public figures from all political parties, and thousands of general user accounts in Taiwan have been mistakenly suspended. Some accounts, due to their high visibility, are susceptible to malicious use of the reporting function by malicious actors, leading to priority misjudgment and suspension by the system.
The DDM stated that mistakenly suspended accounts are being progressively unblocked. Media outlets include Central News Agency, Public Television Service, and Formosa Television. Public figures include former President Chen Shui-bian, former DPP legislator Chen Po-wei, KMT New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ssu-chuan, the KMT Youth League, former TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je, and TPP Taipei City Councilor Huang Jen-wei, among many others whose accounts have been restored.
However, the DDM noted that there have been recent reports of new mistaken suspensions, and some accounts, after restoration, were mistakenly blocked again by the system. Meta stated that after intensive repairs, this technical error has been preliminarily fixed. (Editor: Shen Zhen-jiang)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=2&pid=215135
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