Facebook is undoubtedly one of the largest social media in the world. It reportedly has over 2 billion active users. To make it a safe and respectful place for everyone, there should be rules and guidelines. That’s why a set of guidelines called Facebook’s Community Standards was created. This one should be followed by every user. If a user violates these guidelines, they should not be surprised if they are banned from the platform.
Definition of Facebook’s Community Standards
As stated before, Facebook’s Community Standards refer to a set of guidelines that was created to make Facebook a safe and respectful environment for all the users. A few things such as hate speech, violence and incitement, nudity and sexual activity, and spam and fake accounts are covered. Every single content that promotes violence, bullying, harassment, or hate speech that is based on a person’ race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability is prohibited. Apart from that, all the contents that depict sexual exploitation or abuse or the ones that violate intellectual property rights are also prohibited.
Consequences of Violating Facebook’s Community Standards
If you as a Facebook user violate Facebook’s Community Standards, you may face consequences such as temporary or permanent suspension from Facebook, removal of content, or a warning. For instance, if you violate the Community Standards more than once by posting content that promotes hate speech or violence, your account may be permanently removed. Besides, your account may also be removed and a warning may be issued if you violate the guidelines by sharing content that violates intellectual property rights.
The Way Facebook Enforces Its Community Standards
There is a team of content moderators formed by Facebook. These people are the ones who have the responsibility to enforce the Community Standards. A combination of automated tools and human review are used by them in order to identify and get rid of content that violates the guidelines.
When a content that violates the guidelines is reported by a user, the report will be reviewed by Facebook and the team will take action if needed. Plus, automated tools may be used to identify content that violates the guidelines, such as artificial intelligence algorithms that can detect hate speech and other forms of harmful content.
Definition of Facebook Jail
Facebook Jail is a term used to call a situation when a user who intentionally or unintentionally violates Facebook’s Community Standards is banned from the platform. This one is also popular as banned, blocked, or suspended. Aside from Facebook Jail, it also has some other names, such as Facebook Prison, Facebook Block, Facebook Suspension, Facebook Ban, and Prison Facebook.
Way to Check If You Are in Facebook Jail
Usually, there are a few restrictions faced by Facebook accounts that are placed in Facebook Jail. These restrictions include but not limited to:
- Not allowed to publish the personal timeline and pages and groups
- Not allowed to like or react to other people’s posts
- Not allowed to leave comment on other people’s posts
- Not allowed to log in to the account or pages
- Not allowed to accept or send friend requests
The restrictions mentioned above might be aggravating, especially for business. Not only that, it would be sadder if you are sure that you did nothing wrong and it was only a mistake. Apparently, the ban will continue until the sentence is completed. When it is done, you will be able to control your account again.
Kinds of Facebook Jail
The kind of blocking that your account has received is usually the factor that determines the length of your Facebook Jail sentence. Talking about the kinds of Facebook Jail, there are two of them, as follows:
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Temporary
This one happens when your account or specific features are briefly disabled by Facebook. It is known as the lightest level offense of Facebook Jail. In this case, you either said something offensive on a comment thread or shared something inappropriate. However, as Facebook’s rules keep changing, you have to pay attention to the date that shows up in the notification when you try to perform a blocked action.
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Permanent
If your Facebook account is permanently banned, it means you will never be given access to your account again. This is the punishment for those who have committed major offenses. In general, these offenses are mainly criminal in nature, such as hacking Facebook’s security and facilitating illegal transactions. In some cases, accessing other features, such as accepting a friend request or changing a page’s name, might still be allowed even though performing certain actions are not.
Time Facebook Jail Lasts
The blocks are divided into three categories based on the length and severity of the prohibition, as follows:
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Low
This one is only valid for the duration of the time frame indicated by Facebook in the notice. It is between 24 hours to 30 days. Before its planned end, feel free to try to file an appeal to get the ban lifted.
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Middle
This one means some functions have been permanently disabled from your Facebook account, including liking and commenting on any post. However, it is not a complete ban as elements that are prohibited are only certain. As for the duration, it is longer than the low one.
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High
This one is the highest tier. It is for those who have committed serious violations, such as attempting to hack. If your account is included in this, it means it has been completely banned. There is no method to recover it.
Keep in mind that even though you just released from Facebook Jail, you are still not totally free. Normally, there is a 7-day probation period after Facebook Jail.
Reasons Why You Are in Facebook Jail
If you are in Facebook Jail, there are some possible reasons why you are in it, such as:
1. Misinformation
Promoting something that is proven to be false or inaccurate information about something such as politics or the pandemic will end up in Facebook Jail.
2. Spamming
Do not get surprised at being jailed in Facebook Jail if you often post the same content on many pages or groups at approximately the same time.
3. Using inappropriate language or sharing inappropriate content
It has been known that sharing any unnecessary language or content is not allowed. This rule is clear and is easy to understand. However, there are still people who overlook or willingly forget it. It should be noted that Facebook is a platform that is monitored by moderators. If one is doing something wrong, a ban will be applied. For those who are wondering about the inappropriate content, it includes but is not limited to hate speech, posers, fake timelines, self-harming content, pornography, sexually suggestive posts, intense racism or xenophobia, direct attacks on others, and links to malicious software.
4. Using fake or poser account
If you create a fake or poser account, your Facebook account is going to be banned by Facebook. While there may be a time when you have successfully avoided getting banned, it does not mean you are fully safe as Facebook still has the ability to detect it if you enter a fake phone number.
Ways to Lift the Facebook Ban
If you think you are banned from Facebook for no reason, you may feel that you do not deserve to be in Facebook Jail. If you feel this way, there are several things that you can do, such as:
1. Do nothing
Apparently, Facebook ban will be automatically lifted after 24 hours to 30 days after a minor offense. It means you can do nothing and wait for it to pass.
2. Write in a thread
For your information, there are several Facebook suspensions where you can still write on threads of any Facebook group. Try to get the attention of any Facebook moderator if you want to be free. However, if you do it wrong, it may backfire you and you may get a permanent ban.
3. Appeal to Facebook Support team
Remember that there is a reason why you receive a Facebook’ Community Standards warning or you are accused of violating a regulation. When you are informed that you have broken a rule, feel free to appeal to be released from Facebook Jail. Here is the link that you can visit to appeal: https://www.facebook.com/support?tab_type=APPEALS.
Ways to Avoid Facebook Jail
In order to avoid being in Facebook Jail, it is a must for you to follow the Community Standards. Check out some tips to help you stay within the guidelines below:
- Do not share content that promotes hate speech or violence.
- Do not share content that violates intellectual property rights.
- Do not share content that consists of exploitation or abuse.
- Do not make face accounts or use them to spam others.
- Do not bully or harass others.
- Do not share false information or engage in deceptive practices.
Bottom Line
Basically, Facebook’s Community Standards are known as a set of guidelines that have to be followed by everyone. Those who violate these guidelines can end up in Facebook Jail. If they think they have done nothing, they can try to make an appeal in hope the ban will be lifted.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
