Facebook makes many decisions every day that impact the experience of billions of users. With so many users, it’s inevitable that some of these decisions will be disagreed with or considered controversial. Here we’ll look at what options you have if you find yourself at odds with a choice Facebook has made.
Why might you disagree with a Facebook decision?
Some common reasons you may take issue with a Facebook decision include:
- A post or account of yours was removed for violating a policy, but you believe it did not actually violate any rules.
- One of your posts was labeled as false or misleading information, but you believe it to be accurate.
- A friend’s post that you found offensive was left up despite you reporting it.
- You disagree with a new feature Facebook has introduced or a change made to the platform.
- You believe a policy Facebook has enacted is unfair or restrictive.
In these cases, you may feel Facebook’s decision was unwarranted, inconsistently enforced, or simply a bad choice. When a company as large and influential as Facebook makes a call you disagree with, it’s understandable to find it frustrating.
Appeal the decision
If a specific piece of your content was removed or your account suspended, the first step is submitting an appeal to Facebook. Here’s how:
- Go to the Facebook Help Center and search for “How do I appeal if Facebook disabled my account?” or “How do I request a review if Facebook disabled or removed my content?”
- Review the articles about appeals to understand the process and eligibility. You typically have only a few days to submit an appeal.
- Fill out the appropriate appeal request form. Supply any details or context that could help your case.
- Wait to hear back from Facebook. The company says most reviews take 24-48 hours.
If your appeal is successful, the removed content or account access may be restored. However, keep in mind appeals do not always work. Facebook is unlikely to overturn a decision unless you can show evidence their initial ruling was a mistake.
Provide feedback
For disagreements that are not tied to a single content removal, such as frustration over a new feature or policy, you can provide general feedback to Facebook:
- For most issues, go to https://www.facebook.com/help/173544309328296 to file feedback in the Facebook Help Center.
- To give input specifically on privacy concerns, use the Privacy Concerns form.
- For potentially sensitive or urgent issues, you can email [email protected].
Describe your concerns constructively with relevant examples. Ranting or venting anger is less likely to elicit a response. Linking to related articles or posts can provide helpful context.
While not every piece of feedback receives an individual reply, Facebook product teams review these submissions to identify areas of concern. Common complaints may spur the company to reconsider features or policies. However, as a free platform relying heavily on advertising, some decisions are made in the business’ interests versus users’ preferences.
Post publicly
You can also share your disagreements in a public-facing way, to both get it off your chest and potentially gather support:
- Post about the issue on your Facebook page explaining your perspective.
- Respond to any official Facebook posts about the topic stating your stance.
- Start or sign Facebook groups about the issue.
- Tweet at Facebook’s corporate Twitter accounts like @Facebook, @Meta, and @FacebookApp.
- Create social shareable content like videos discussing your concerns.
This public pressure may prompt Facebook to address the situation, especially if many others rally behind it. Be careful not to make any threats, harass employees, or incite harm, which can result in your account being suspended.
Petition change
Once you have support around an issue, launch or sign online petitions requesting changes from Facebook. Here are some tips:
- Check Change.org, Causes.com and other petition platforms for existing campaigns to join.
- If nothing exists, start your own petition with a clear title and description of the problem and desired solution.
- Share the petition on your social media accounts, subreddits, forums and relevant groups to gain more signatures.
- Once you have traction, try emailing the petition to Facebook executives and the media to gain attention.
- Consider mobilizing signers for collective awareness campaigns like coordinated social media posts or boycotting the platform for a day.
Petitions themselves rarely create change, but they can demonstrate consolidated support for an issue while pressuring decision-makers.
Contact your government
If your concerns around Facebook involve larger issues around ethics, privacy, impacts on society or democracy, you may want to contact government officials. Here are some options:
- For US citizens, you can write your local legislators in Congress to request they address issues with Facebook through laws or regulations.
- You can file complaints with regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on certain issues regarding Facebook – see what the FTC handles here.
- Check if your country has any sort of Parliamentary social media ombudsman or digital ethics committees you can write.
- See if your national government is holding any hearings or investigations into technology companies like Facebook and provide input.
Governments have an imperative to protect citizens and promote fair business practices. While progress can be slow, public policy pressure could potentially produce change at Facebook.
Delete your account
The nuclear option if you’ve lost all faith in Facebook’s leadership is deleting your account entirely:
- Go to facebook.com and click the arrow button in the top right > Settings & Privacy > Your Facebook Information in the left column > Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose “Permanently Delete Account” and select “Continue to Account Deletion.”
- Re-enter your password and click “Permanently Delete Account.”
Your profile, photos, posts, messages, reactions and anything else tied to the account will be erased over the next 90 days.
Quitting Facebook outright sends a strong message, and prevents you from further exposure to decisions you fundamentally oppose. Just be aware it means losing contact with any connections exclusive to the platform.
Live with the decision
Despite best efforts, you ultimately may need to accept that Facebook will stick with certain choices that you dislike. Social media users voluntarily sign up for these services and are subject to their governance. Here are some pointers for coexisting with frustrating decisions:
- Vent to friends privately to blow off steam if needed.
- Limit your use of parts of Facebook you take issue with when possible.
- Focus energy on other platforms and communities that align better with your values.
- Delete the app from your phone to use Facebook less habitually.
- Try to care a little less about social media, and realize its limited importance in life’s grand scheme.
No technology leader will ever make choices that satisfy everyone. Try controlling your own reaction, even when the company takes stances you oppose.
Conclusion
Disagreeing with Facebook’s stances is understandable given their global reach. However, you have options to try and effect change – appealing decisions, providing feedback, rallying public support, petitioning leadership and leveraging government authorities. If these fail, limiting your Facebook usage or deleting your account remain on the table. But you also don’t need to let frustrations consume you for a free service. Facebook may make choices you don’t like, but your power lies in controlling your own response.