[Chapter-delegates] Suspension of Chapter Facebook pages for "impersonation"

Wed Apr 23 07:37:48 PDT 2025

Hi Joly,
I have suffered the same fate with you on my pages.
Prior to this date, I could run ads.
Unfortunately, someone tried using my page and card.
Ever since, I have had issues managing my pages.
I have also lost some pages to unknown persons.
It would be great if Meta could help.
Regards.

On Wed, 23 Apr 2025 at 13:59, Ricky Mahabir via Chapter-delegates <
chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Pages that were taken offline/blocked etc were lost. Those that were
> suspended are still being worked on to get back online; by both Meta and
> LCI teams. Unfortunately I do not have real details.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Ricky P. Mahabir
> Commissaris Vereniging De Dolfijn (Bar, Keuken en Recreatie)
> Lions Club Parwani | (LC Member #5276037, *MJF*)
> JCI Senator # 81045
> 2024-2025 Secretary ISOC Suriname Chapter (www.isoc.org)
> Secretaris Buurtvereniging Gunny's Villapark
> Voorzitter Key Jaycees / Past President | JCI Suriname
> / JCI Nilom
>
> Mobile: +597-7697377 / +597-8727832 | e-mail: rickypm at gmail.com | Skype:
> rmahabir
>
> "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 9:35 AM Alejandro Lengua <alengua at vo.pe> wrote:
>
>> In my experience working with small businesses that have lost access to
>> their Facebook or Instagram pages due to identity theft (usually as a
>> result of stolen phones or malware installation), they have never received
>> any help from META.
>>
>> However, I am glad to know that there are special support channels for
>> organizations that have collaborative projects with ISOC and the LCI.
>> Still, I believe that the number of complaints about these issues should
>> prompt us to look for alternative channels for streaming and dissemination.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Alejandro Lengua
>>
>> El mié, 23 abr 2025 a las 7:23, Joly MacFie via Chapter-delegates (<
>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>) escribió:
>>
>>> Hi Ricky,
>>>
>>> Thanks for the feedback. Useful context.
>>>
>>> So, basically, left hanging by FB? Since last year? Despite intervention
>>> from parent org?
>>>
>>> Were there any prophylactic measures advised by LCI?
>>>
>>> Joly
>>>
>>> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 7:54 AM Ricky Mahabir <rickypm at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear all,
>>>>
>>>> Greetings from Suriname.
>>>> Just wanted to point out that this issue is not specific to ISOC FB
>>>> pages, we have experienced the same since last year with Lions Clubs FB
>>>> pages as well. Meta was also engaged by the main organization LCI.
>>>>
>>>> Kind regards,
>>>>
>>>> Ricky P. Mahabir
>>>> Commissaris Vereniging De Dolfijn (Bar, Keuken en Recreatie)
>>>> Lions Club Parwani | (LC Member #5276037, *MJF*)
>>>> JCI Senator # 81045
>>>> 2024-2025 Secretary ISOC Suriname Chapter (www.isoc.org)
>>>> Secretaris Buurtvereniging Gunny's Villapark
>>>> Voorzitter Key Jaycees / Past President | JCI Suriname
>>>> / JCI Nilom
>>>>
>>>> Mobile: +597-7697377 / +597-8727832 | e-mail: rickypm at gmail.com |
>>>> Skype: rmahabir
>>>>
>>>> "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 8:49 AM Joly MacFie via Chapter-delegates <
>>>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for the quick response, Joe.
>>>>>
>>>>> On our end it is difficult to divine what action, if any, is being
>>>>> taken by staff, so any update, even "nothing to report", is valuable.
>>>>>
>>>>> Perhaps,  staff could examine the mitigation steps proposed by both me
>>>>> and ChatGPT, and comment or modify? Or institute some kind of verification
>>>>> program?
>>>>>
>>>>> Joly
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM Dr. Joseph Lorenzo Hall <hall at isoc.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Joly, I have been working for two weeks with Meta staff to try and
>>>>>> get these pages restored. I asked Victor and you to provide the data that
>>>>>> the review team needs and we've provided that to them. Typically, there are
>>>>>> very few recourses after an appeal has been denied as with the Mali and
>>>>>> Zimbabwe pages (please give me the details for the new page suspension
>>>>>> off-list and I'll get that to the Meta review team).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> To be clear, we'll need to keep our expectations low; in my
>>>>>> experience pages are rarely resorted after appeal. I'm hopeful, especially
>>>>>> given our collaboration with Meta.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We're working hard on this and so far there is nothing new to report
>>>>>> back as it's in their queue (I assume). Can you please give us the benefit
>>>>>> of the doubt that we are trying here? Thank you
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Joseph Lorenzo Hall PhD, Distinguished Technologist, Internet Society
>>>>>> hall at isoc.org | +1-703-483-9504
>>>>>> internetsociety.org | @internetsociety
>>>>>> pgp: 3CA28D7B9F6DDBD34B1016075F86698740A9A871
>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>> *From:* Chapter-delegates <chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org>
>>>>>> on behalf of Joly MacFie via Chapter-delegates <
>>>>>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>>>>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 23, 2025 7:01:09 AM
>>>>>> *To:* ISOC Chapter Delegates <chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org>
>>>>>> *Subject:* [Chapter-delegates] Suspension of Chapter Facebook pages
>>>>>> for "impersonation"
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For ISOC.LIVE video crossposting purposes, I have, over the years,
>>>>>> gained some admin role or other on 50+ Chapter Facebook pages. Recently a
>>>>>> worrying trend has arisen of pages getting suspended by FB for
>>>>>> "impersonation". Requested reviews have been summarily denied.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Apart from making these pages unavailable, this has resulted in me
>>>>>> and other page admins having our accounts restricted, such that we can't
>>>>>> post or manage groups. ( I manage several non-ISOC technical groups, a
>>>>>> couple with 1000s of members)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Suspensions include
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *Internet Society Zimbabwe – ISOC Zim*
>>>>>> https://www.facebook.com/isoczim/
>>>>>> Suspended: December 17, 2024
>>>>>> Review Decision: Not restored (January 3, 2025)
>>>>>> Reason: Impersonation
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *ISOC Mali – Le Chapitre malien d’Internet Society*
>>>>>> https://www.facebook.com/isocml/
>>>>>> Suspended: March 26, 2025
>>>>>> Review Decision: Not restored (March 31, 2025)
>>>>>> Reason: Impersonation
>>>>>>
>>>>>> After these two, and since there had just been trumpeted the
>>>>>> extension ISOC and Meta's partnership in Africa
>>>>>> <https://www.internetsociety.org/news/press-releases/2025/internet-society-extends-multi-year-partnership-with-meta-and-announces-connectivity-co-funding-initiative/>,
>>>>>> I reached out to Victor Ndonnang and also Chapter Support to see if strings
>>>>>> could be pulled.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Victor, as always, was responsive, and concerned about the
>>>>>> damage these suspensions could do to two of the region's most active
>>>>>> chapters.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> However Vcitor's efforts appeared to be in vain. I remembered that Katie
>>>>>> Watson Jordan <https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-watson/>, formerly
>>>>>> a mainstay of the North America Bureau, now worked out at Meta. I reached
>>>>>> out to her and she asked for details to pass along to the "review
>>>>>> team'".That was around a week ago.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Chapter Support did not respond at all. No surprise there.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Today, April 23 2025, comes another suspension, not of  just a
>>>>>> chapter, but the Asia Pacific Bureau Page, taking out a whole region! I
>>>>>> immediately appealed this, with the result that, within minutes, the page
>>>>>> was totally removed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> [image: image.png]
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have passed that to Katie, too.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, what's going on here? It's not like these pages were full of spam
>>>>>> or anything...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One possible explanation is that this is an undesirable side effect
>>>>>> of some other totally legitimate takedown. There are a number of orphaned,
>>>>>> and conceivably even bogus ISOC pages out there, and which were reported as
>>>>>> such, and the baby is now being thrown out with the bathwater.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Or, it just could be increased brand vigilance byISOC staff, with the
>>>>>> same result.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It can't be 100% ignored that staff have systematically carried out a
>>>>>> program to disengage from ISOC.LIVE, and me personally since removing my
>>>>>> funding a year back, and this could be part of that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But, most likely, it's probably just Meta's stupid AI.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Nevertheless, it is a fact of life.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *===========WHAT TO DO?=========*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are a couple of things Chapter leaders can do.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1) Review the admin roles on the Chapter's FB page, and remove
>>>>>> anybody who is not necessary. That includes me(  I am restricted from
>>>>>> streaming anyway at present.) People can always be re-added as 'task
>>>>>> manager'.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2) Read these detailed instructions from ChatGPT
>>>>>> <https://chatgpt.com/share/6808c434-0970-8013-a95d-2ce70fae59d7> on
>>>>>> how to safeguard your page.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> These instructions include NOT using the plain ISOC Symbol as an
>>>>>> avatar, but in turn how to make an alternative that conforms to ISOC's
>>>>>> brand guidelines is not obvious.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What ChatGPT does suggest is that ISOC itself recognizes chapter
>>>>>> pages by linking to them from the main ISOC page.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joly
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> --------------------------------------
>>>>>> Joly MacFie  +12185659365
>>>>>> --------------------------------------
>>>>>> -
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> --------------------------------------
>>>>> Joly MacFie  +12185659365
>>>>> --------------------------------------
>>>>> -
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to the Internet
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>>>>> which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society Chapter Portal
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>>>>> The Internet Society has a legitimate interest to communicate with its
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>>>>> Please note that the archive of this list is publicly accessible and
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>>>>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> --------------------------------------
>>> Joly MacFie  +12185659365
>>> --------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to the Internet
>>> Society’s Chapter Leaders Community Group and the Chapter Delegates e-list,
>>> which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society Chapter Portal
>>> (AMS): https://community.internetsociety.org.
>>> The Internet Society has a legitimate interest to communicate with its
>>> chapter leaders, you will therefore remain subscribed for the duration of
>>> your term and will be unsubscribed automatically when your term ends.
>>> Please note that the archive of this list is publicly accessible and may
>>> be viewed by anyone. By submitting information to this list and
>>> contributing to the communications, you acknowledge that the contents will
>>> be publicly visible.
>>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
> As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to the Internet Society’s
> Chapter Leaders Community Group and the Chapter Delegates e-list, which is
> regularly synchronized with the Internet Society Chapter Portal (AMS):
> https://community.internetsociety.org.
> The Internet Society has a legitimate interest to communicate with its
> chapter leaders, you will therefore remain subscribed for the duration of
> your term and will be unsubscribed automatically when your term ends.
> Please note that the archive of this list is publicly accessible and may
> be viewed by anyone. By submitting information to this list and
> contributing to the communications, you acknowledge that the contents will
> be publicly visible.
> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct:
> https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>
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