Taipei: Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced that Meta has committed to "proactively identify and restore" social media accounts that were incorrectly suspended, reporting that nearly 90 percent of these accounts had been reinstated by 4 p.m.
According to Focus Taiwan, the ministry revealed that Meta's Taiwan office was directed to restore approximately 100 accounts, primarily those of media organizations and public figures, by 6 p.m. on Wednesday. This directive followed a technical issue on Sunday that led Meta's system to erroneously categorize users as under 13 years of age, resulting in the suspension of between 3,000 and 4,000 accounts. Among those affected were about 200 accounts belonging to media organizations and public figures, alongside numerous individual users.
Meta has assured that it will continue to identify and restore all impacted accounts across its platforms, including Facebook, Threads, and Instagram, while maintaining its existing appeal mechanisms for users whose accounts remain suspended.
MODA noted that suspended accounts typically draw significant attention and are prone to being reported by other users, increasing the likelihood of being flagged by Meta's system. Restoration efforts have been focused on accounts associated with media entities like the Central News Agency, Public Television Service, and Formosa Television, as well as those of notable public figures such as former President Chen Shui-bian, former legislator Chen Po-wei, and Kuomintang New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Shu-chuan.
In response to the incident, MODA highlighted a technical issue with Meta's international online safety measures for young users, specifically an age-verification mechanism introduced in May to identify users under 13. This glitch inadvertently led to widespread account suspensions, affecting users globally.
The ministry pledged to monitor the situation closely, urging Meta to protect the rights of Taiwanese users and prevent similar errors in the future. Additionally, TPP Legislator Hung Yu-shiang advocated for the formation of a task force under the Executive Yuan, involving the Consumer Protection Committee, the Fair Trade Commission, and MODA, to safeguard consumer rights and ensure fair trade practices.
Hung also announced plans for a digital platform users' rights protection bill, which would entail the right to refuse automated responses, mandate human reviews, and secure users' rights to access their information post-suspension. The proposed legislation aims to introduce a third-party dispute resolution mechanism, require annual reporting, and impose fines for repeated infractions.