Facebook’s ‘Heartbreaking’ Purge: Millions of Accounts Vanish Overnight
Facebook has removed more than 10 million accounts in the first half of 2025 as part of an ongoing purge to reduce spam and boost authentic engagement. According to Meta, Facebook’s parent company, the initiative is designed to limit unoriginal content and protect genuine creators. As a result, the platform has been deleting over a million accounts each month this year.
The company shared in a blog post that repeated content, such as recycled memes and videos from spam accounts or impersonators, was harming the overall experience. “Too often the same meme or video pops up repeatedly – sometimes from accounts pretending to be the creator and other times from different spammy accounts,” the post explained. In response, Meta has implemented stronger tools to detect and remove these patterns.
However, not all users have welcomed the move. While the intent is to elevate original content, some legitimate accounts have reportedly been deleted by mistake. Users voiced frustration on platforms like Reddit, where one person shared, “It seems that the ability to connect is being stripped away by an algorithm that lacks understanding.”
Users Blame AI for ‘Heartbreaking’ Mistakes
Although Meta has not provided specific comment on false bans, users on both Facebook and Instagram also owned by Meta have reported being caught in what’s being called the “Meta ban wave.” In many cases, people believe AI tools are to blame for wrongly flagging their accounts as fake.
The consequences have been especially severe for some. One user described the impact on their family and livelihood, writing, “Our business is currently suffering now as we struggle to reach clients… while my son’s autism support network has been severed.” These posts have drawn sympathy online, as more stories surface describing the emotional and professional toll of unexpected account deletions.
According to Facebook’s support policy, affected users have 180 days to appeal a deletion before their accounts are permanently erased. An email notification is sent to users when their account is removed, though some claim they never received one. Meanwhile, The Independent has reached out to Meta for further clarification on these account removal errors.
Meta Follows Industry Trend Toward Digital Cleanups
Facebook’s sweeping removals reflect a broader industry trend. Other tech giants have taken similar steps to tidy their platforms. For example, in 2023, Google began deleting all inactive Gmail, Photos, and Drive accounts a move that continues to affect millions globally.
Additionally, this isn’t the first time Meta has considered radical actions. In 2022, CEO Mark Zuckerberg proposed what he called a “potentially crazy idea”: deleting every user’s friend network and starting over. Though executives rejected the plan, it underscored Meta’s willingness to experiment aggressively in the name of user engagement.
As digital platforms grow more dependent on algorithms and automation, users are increasingly wary. While companies aim to clean up spam, the risk of losing legitimate connections remains a deeply personal issue for many.
