‘It’s sheer panic’: Ottawa restaurateur says Meta wrongly banned her business accounts

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‘It’s sheer panic’: Ottawa restaurateur says Meta wrongly banned her business accounts

OttawaLaurie Viau Gillard uses Instagram and Facebook to advertise the small restaurant she co-owns in Kanata. Late last month, Meta suspended her accounts without explanation.Company eventually reinstated Instagram and Facebook accounts, but offered no clear explanationJayden Dill · CBC News · Posted: Oct 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoLaurie Viau Gillard says her small restaurant in Kanata lost business when Meta wrongly suspended her Instagram and Facebook accounts last month, with no clear explanation. The accounts were eventually reinstated. (Salah Tebess/CBC)Laurie Viau Gillard woke up on Sept. 26 to an Instagram notification that she says sent her into a panic.The Meta-owned social media app informed Viau Gillard, co-owner of a small restaurant in Kanata, that her account had been suspended. Her Facebook account was also suspended.”Everything had completely vanished,” Viau Gillard said. “It was quite devastating at the time to be honest, because it’s the way that we reach all of our customers on a daily basis.”Viau Gillard handles the marketing and administration for Amuse Kitchen & Wine, posting its menu and other information exclusively on social media. When Meta suspended her accounts, she lost access to 2,000 followers — and potential diners.”It’s sheer panic because a small business will build their business on social media,” she said. “It can be debilitating and you’re paralyzed. You can no longer reach your community, your audience.”Part of the message Laurie Viau Gillard received on Sept. 26 informing her that her Instagram account had been suspended. (Submitted by Laurie Viau Gillard)The Instagram notification explained that Viau Gillard’s account “may be associated with another account that has gone against our rules,” without providing details.It confirmed her account was no longer visible to other users and that she could no longer access it, giving her 180 days to appeal the suspension.Viau Gillard suspects the other Instagram account the message referred to was her teenage daughter’s, which was also suspended Sept. 26, though it was equally unclear why. In fact, Viau Gillard said, the whole reason the accounts were linked was so she could monitor her daughter’s online activity.”There was absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter’s account,” she said. “I’ve been following her accounts closely.”She appealed the suspension and eventually reached a Meta representative who she says advised her to await the outcome of her appeal.AI could be to blameViau Gillard believes artificial intelligence (AI) used by Meta to monitor for adherence to its rules and community standards was responsible for her suspension. Other users have reported similar experiences, and some never got their accounts reinstated. Timothy Lethbridge, professor of social engineering and computer science at the University of Ottawa, agrees that’s probably what happened.”One can’t be 100 per cent certain,” he said. “What goes on inside the company is obviously confidential and somewhat opaque to outsiders.”CBC asked Meta about Viau Gillard’s suspicion that AI was to blame for the suspension of her accounts, and about how the company detects violations of its community standards, but the company has not responded. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)CBC asked Meta about Viau Gillard’s suspension, and about how it detects violators, but the company has not responded.Lethbridge said other social media companies use AI for content moderation, and have been for some time. “It’s just part of today’s business practice, because AI is able to process vast amounts of data, way more than an army of humans could,” he said.Lethbridge explained that AI is undergoing ”machine learning,” a process that trains the software to flag posts that violate or otherwise jeopardize community standards. But the technology is far from perfect — for example, it’s sometimes unable to recognize certain images or text.”AIs are guaranteed to make mistakes,” he said. “Humans, at the current time, generally speaking, are more intelligent than AIs.”Suspended accounts reactivatedViau Gillard’s Meta accounts were reactivated nearly a week later, with an apology from the company — but with no clear explanation.”We’re sorry you weren’t able to use your account for a while,” the message read. “Sometimes we need to take action to help keep our community safe.”Viau Gillard said the suspension, while temporary, had a negative impact on her business. She said the restaurant was forced to cancel an event because it was unable to fill enough seats, and saw a decline in customers during the weekend. She said she was also forced to alter her marketing plan for a new wedding business she’s launching in a few weeks.Most frustrating, she said, was the lack of opportunity to explain her case while she waited for the company to realize its mistake.”It’s a 50-50 [chance] if you’ll ever see your accounts come back again,” she said.Lethbridge recommends businesses set up a dedicated website, and not rely solely on social media for marketing.”Do not put all of your eggs in one basket,” he advised. “Just like you would take out insurance on your house, you need some kind of insurance that your data is going to be safe.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJayden Dill is a reporter with CBC Ottawa. Feel free to send him your story ideas and news tips at jayden.dill@cbc.ca

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