Imagine, for a moment, you've been locked out of your Facebook/Instagram due to a cyber-attack which led to your account being disabled. You embark on the recovery journey, only to find yourself going round in circles, completing forms that appear to disappear into thin air with no hint of acknowledgment or assurance of an ongoing investigation. You're compelled to interact with staff who are unfortunately out of their own control stuck with poor scripts. You're caught in an exasperating cycle of narrating your predicament and offering the same personal details repetitively, with no resolution in sight. It's as if you're trapped in a maze with no exit, constantly retracing your steps but never making any progress. This is the frustrating reality of trying to recover a hacked social media account.

Everyday users of Meta Platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, are becoming the unsuspecting prey to hackers and scammers, resulting in their account being disabled. This isn't just a minor inconvenience. For many, Facebook and Instagram accounts are tied to their livelihoods, ability to contact people and access to local community groups and news. The loss of access can result in significant income loss, and worse, often leads to stolen money due to fraudulent activities. This isn't just a theory - it's a reality. The issue is so widespread that there's a subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/facebookdisabledme/ dedicated to these stories, with over ten thousand subscribers from across the globe and growing. A common complaint among these users is the exploitation of linking dubious Instagram accounts to Facebook, which scammers use as a backdoor into users' Facebook accounts.

I recently fell victim to this issue and have spent nearly four months discussing with Meta to restore my wrongfully disabled account. Despite their agreement that a mistake was made, they couldn't verify my identity because the hacker had changed my email. Meta was unable to check logs to validate a previous email associated with my only long term account.

My story is one of frustration and disappointment, but I am not alone. There are potentially a significant unknown number of users facing these predicaments. Meta's handling of these situations is not just disheartening, but also a glaring indication of the need for better security and account recovery measures on the platform. In the end, it's not just about recovering lost accounts - it's about respecting and protecting the users who have made Meta what it is today.

The time to act is now. There is an urgent need for Meta to bolster its security measures and streamline its account recovery process which cannot be overstated. It's time for immediate action. Together, we can push by signing this petition for the change needed to protect our online spaces.

We are advocating for:

• An immediate reinstatement of all Facebook/Instagram accounts that have been wrongfully disabled.
• The provision of functional recovery links for instances where hackers have altered account details (email/phone number).
• The implementation of a comprehensive case management system with case numbers for tracking all cases submitted via email and forms.
• The discontinuation of the practice of permanently disabling hacked accounts.
• The adoption of a system where users are considered innocent until proven guilty.
• The provision of alternative communication channels with Meta, not just for paying subscribers.
• The discontinuation of closing cases without user approval or before a week of no interaction.
• The allowance for Meta staff to escalate issues to their supervisor or management based on their judgement or upon user request.

Let us stand against the growing threat of cyber-crime and seek action from companies like Meta who hold our personal data to do the same! #ImproveMeta