Erased by Systems: When Small Businesses and Supporters Are Silenced
- People Over Platforms Worldwide | News
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
Erased by Systems Too Big to Hear
When a social-media platform disables an account, it doesn’t just remove a login, it erases livelihoods, families, and years of trust.
These stories are just two examples of what it means to be erased by systems built too large to hear human voices.
Every day, people around the world wake up to find themselves locked out, no warning, no reason, no appeal. Two of them, Chelsea and Victoria, come from different corners of the world. Their stories reveal the same system: one where automated decisions silence real human voices.
Chelsea’s Story: A Small-Business Owner Locked Out of Her Livelihood
For Chelsea Caldwell, a small-business owner, these platforms were more than social media, they were her income, visibility, and connection to her community.
On October 5, 2025, everything disappeared. Her Facebook and Instagram accounts were permanently disabled under false accusations of “CSE,” which she says are completely inaccurate.
“I’ve lost access to all of my Facebook and Instagram accounts, both of which were monetized. As a small business owner, I rely on these platforms for my livelihood.”
Her main account, @caldtothefarm, had over 40 000 followers. She also managed a business page and group where she showcased her handmade products. When those vanished, so did her ability to earn.
This was more than a technical error, it was the collapse of her entire business.
A Family Affected: When the System Punishes More Than One
Chelsea’s ordeal didn’t end with her own account. When her daughter’s profile was flagged — because she is a minor linked under her mother’s account, the platform’s automated system disabled every connected profile at once.
“All of my accounts were banned since she is a minor and linked under my account. Her appeal was denied within 30 seconds. I was never given an option to appeal any of my three Instagram accounts or my Facebook account.”
Result: a mother’s business, a daughter’s personal page, and two creative accounts, all gone in seconds.
“I run my small business on Facebook in my group and business pages. Now I have no way to showcase my items or earn any income.”
This isn’t moderation. It’s digital collateral damage.
Appeals Denied Before They Begin
When Chelsea tried to appeal, the system had no way to listen. Her daughter’s appeal was denied within 30 seconds, far too fast for any human to review. None of her other accounts had an appeal option at all.
“It was like shouting into a void.”
This is the human cost of automation. The support framework serves machines, not people.
The Company’s Own Words
A follow-up email from the company’s professional-support team confirmed what many already suspected, that automated systems control nearly every decision behind the scenes.
“The whole platform is managed with assistance from artificial intelligence. Sometimes when certain actions are perceived as a violation, the system automatically detects such actions as threats and temporarily applies restrictions.”
AI now acts as judge, jury, and executioner, with little room for human accountability.
Victoria’s Story: A Supporter Silenced for Doing Nothing Wrong
While Chelsea fought to rebuild her business, Victoria was fighting for something different, the right to keep her fan pages online.
For over a decade, she managed two positive fan communities dedicated to public figures. They were transparent, respectful, and clearly labeled as fan-run.
Then one morning, the platform’s automated systems flagged both for “impersonation” and deleted them without explanation.
“They told me to appeal from the page itself, but the page no longer exists. It’s a vicious circle.”
She built communities of joy and connection, and was punished for it.
Victoria tried everything: submitting appeals, contacting journalists, even writing to outlets that had previously covered similar bans. Each attempt ended the same way, automated replies, broken links, or silence.
They are not just removing pages. They are erasing voices.
Locked Out and Left Without Answers
Chelsea and Victoria’s stories may differ, but both reveal a system that has grown too large to care.
No real human review
Appeal processes that lead nowhere
AI systems mislabeling innocent people
These are not small mistakes.
They are personal, financial, and human losses, reminders of why accountability and transparency matter more than ever.
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Editor’s note: For privacy and respect, some supporter details and employee names have been blurred or cropped. Certain images were lightly edited or enhanced to remove personal information. Employee names have been redacted where appropriate.
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Hello from FRANCE ! my Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram accounts were deactivated in 4 minutes (including the web call) on June 28th, for having violated standards on child abuse. I should clarify that I am working with psychiatrists and child psychiatrists on a project concerning access to illicit content. I tried to create a second account, which was also deactivated in 2 minutes,for "recidivism ". I lost 11 years' worth of content, memories, and contacts. I don't know if this was a malicious report or the overzealousness of META's AI. I recently read that the Courts experimented with creating a jury entirely composed of AI. We, we experienced this firsthand: META is both judge, jury and executioner, and we don'…
Meta can’t be allowed to continue this.
I am really still grieving losing my page and messenger accounts in one foul swoop at the end of July, citing cybersecurity breech as the reason but I just do not have the heart to begin another. I am so angry at Meta.