Meta apologises after suspending "No Kings" Instagram account
WASHINGTON: Meta apologised for suspending the Instagram account of the “No Kings” protest movement over the weekend, attributing the shutdown to a sharp increase in activity that looked like automated bot traffic rather than human exchanges.
Meta expressed regret on Monday after temporarily suspending the Instagram account of the No Kings protest movement, claiming the restriction was due to an influx of activity resembling automated bot traffic. The demonstration, which occurred across the United States on Saturday, criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policies, the war in Iran, and other government actions.
The No Kings protest was organized in various cities, including Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York. The social media giant's spokesman, Andy Stone, acknowledged on X that it took longer than expected to resolve the issue with the organizers' account access. Stone explained that Meta's security systems had detected a high volume of sequential requests, resembling automated bot traffic, on October 17.
The Instagram account was offline for over an hour, and it took Meta additional time to fix the problem. No Kings Coalition members were dissatisfied with Meta's explanation, stating that the shutdown was not the only issue; they also reported problems with accessing NoKings and early voting content across Meta platforms. The protest organizers emphasized that a mere apology was insufficient, especially weeks before the Nov 3 midterm congressional elections, calling for answers, accountability, and concrete safeguards instead.
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