A Toronto woman says a Meta account ban erased 20 years of her Facebook history overnight, and that when she paid $14.99 US a month for Meta Verified to reach a person, she got another chatbot that closed her ticket. Jasmine Ault told CBC News, in a story published October 1, 2026, that her Instagram, Facebook and even a linked Instagram for her dog were permanently disabled in late September with no explanation of which rule she had broken.
Meta did not respond to CBC’s request for comment.
A Meta account ban overnight, then 26 hours of appeals
According to CBC News, Ault woke in the middle of the night to a notice that her accounts had been permanently disabled. She opened her Facebook account in 2006 and used it as a personal scrapbook and to market clients for a side business.
She says she stayed awake for the next 26 hours trying to appeal. Screenshots she shared said only that her Facebook “doesn’t follow our rules.” She later learned of several failed log-in attempts shortly before the ban and suspects she was hacked. Within minutes of pressing the appeal button, she was told her case was closed and she could not appeal again.
“It feels like I’ve lost everything in a metaphorical fire with my digital albums and my digital memories,” Ault told CBC News. “And who’s going to protect those if I can only speak to AI?”
Paying for Meta Verified got her another chatbot
Ault then made a backup Instagram account and subscribed to Meta Verified’s standard tier, about $21 Cdn a month, believing it would get her a human. The “enhanced support” was another AI chatbot, which told her the ticket was being closed and that she had reached her limit of support interactions. CBC reported that among Meta’s verification tiers, only Premium and Max, at $150 US and $500 US a month, mention the ability to “request a call from an agent.”
“It, to me, feels like Meta is trying to cut corners by not paying a human, when they’re worth billions and billions of dollars,” Ault said, adding that the accounts held “people’s lifelines” and “people’s memories.”
Not an isolated case
CBC called Ault the latest in a pattern that has grown over two years. One Canadian lost 18 years of Facebook data after posting family trip photos, then had a second account banned. Others lost accounts they relied on for advertising. Some were restored after owners went to the media; others never were.
Why AI customer service keeps spreading
A global survey of more than 34,000 people, commissioned by ServiceNow with ThoughtLab, found half of customers named a lack of empathy as their biggest frustration with AI customer service. While 87 per cent of customers ranked phone calls as a preferred channel, only seven per cent of executives planned to prioritize them.
Ela Veresiu, a marketing professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, told CBC the reason is cost.
“It is a lot cheaper to have an AI that responds to customer service queries than to hire people that can potentially respond, or be available to respond, 24/7,” Veresiu said.
Chatbots handle simple questions but not complex “why” ones, she said, and Meta’s users have nowhere comparable to go. “Customers may grumble and be dissatisfied by the overreliance of AI and customer service, but ultimately, they have no choice in the marketplace,” Veresiu said.
Options for users after a Meta account ban
There is no guaranteed fix, but there are a few concrete steps:
- Save your data while you can. A Meta help page on suspended or disabled accounts says users “may be able to request a download of your Meta account information by following the instructions on the notification screen.”
- Watch the appeal clock. The same Meta help page warns that if you do not appeal within the specified time, you can no longer request a review. A consumer-tech guide from Fox News puts the usual window at about 180 days, noting it can vary by region.
- Consider the courts. Jon Festinger, a law lecturer at the University of British Columbia, told CBC that Canadians may be able to sue by arguing damages, especially over business accounts. “It should be relatively easy to prove the damages, at least the reputational damage, and perhaps more,” he said.
- Use EU rights if they apply. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, platforms must explain why content is removed or suspended, and users can appeal through the platform or an out-of-court dispute settlement body.
Festinger noted Air Canada was found liable in 2024 for its chatbot’s made-up advice to a customer. In the US, the FTC chair has floated liability for AI agent misconduct.
Ottawa’s Bill C-36 and the push for a human agent
Shion Guha, a University of Toronto assistant professor, said the problem is not that AI errs. “Any technical solution makes mistakes,” he told CBC. “What it’s really about is that people lack a way to get the mistake fixed.” He wants companies required to offer a path to a human agent and a fair appeal, as with a speeding ticket.
The office of Canada’s AI Minister Evan Solomon told CBC that Bill C-36, introduced in June, would let people request an explanation of significant automated decisions and make their case in writing to an employee who can review them. “Canadians should not lose access to years of personal information, memories and professional contacts without a clear explanation or a meaningful way to challenge the decision,” the office said. The bill has not passed, and it stops short of requiring a human agent in customer service.
Meta is already facing legal pressure on other fronts, including a New Mexico jury verdict on privacy violations. For Ault, the immediate question is simpler: whether two decades of photos and conversations will ever come back.
