The Journey Through Facebook's Content Moderation Maze: A Cautionary Tale

After appealing, we regained access to our Facebook page. This post will share the story of the issues we encountered leading up to the ban, the appeal process, and how Meta Verified for Business might have helped.

Live Streaming Challenges

As many of you know, we've been pivoting towards live esports broadcasting, with a focus on our iRacing Wednesday Night Dash Series, which has been a tremendous success. Our 2024 iRacing Indy Racing World Series is now in its second season, following the renewal of the iRacing and IndyCar license earlier this year.

To broaden our reach, we’ve been using Restream to simulcast our broadcasts across YouTube, Twitch, Kick, and Facebook. Restream offers a simple way to expand your audience, with a great free tier that lets you get started before committing to a paid plan.  Note that we are an affiliate partner of Restream.IO and earn a commission for referrals.

However, in 2024, Facebook’s automated content moderation tool began shutting down our streams, citing copyright infringement. The appeal system is deeply flawed; no one usually reviews your appeal until you face a full ban. In the meantime, your account accumulates strikes, which eventually lead to a complete ban. From April to late May, my personal account was banned. A month and a half after submitting my appeal, I received an apology stating that I hadn’t violated any intellectual property rights, and my account was restored.

Fast forward to August 21, 2024, when we received a notification that our page violated Facebook's terms of service due to their automated moderation tool detecting content that supposedly broke their rules. No specific posts were identified, nor was any explanation provided.

Update: Despite regaining access to our page, we’ve decided that live streaming on Facebook is not worth the hassle. We’ll continue to use the platform for posts and to grow our online presence, but the lack of clear communication regarding these moderation issues has convinced us to abandon Facebook as a streaming platform.

What Went Wrong?

Your guess is as good as ours. People stream video games all the time, and iRacing has a Broadcast Policy that we meticulously follow, covering everything from personal in-car views to full-blown esports broadcasts. We’ve gone through the manual countless times and even cited parts of it in our appeal to Facebook.

The intro song we use in our broadcasts is licensed through Persona Music, and we’ve had zero issues with the same streams on YouTube, Kick, and Twitch. We are confident that we haven’t violated any terms.

Where It Gets Weird

Facebook’s support team hasn’t been helpful. In July, I subscribed to Meta Verified for Business ($12 USD per month) to speak with a support person. Initially, this seemed promising. Meta support believed that the copyright violation might have stemmed from a misunderstanding regarding our ownership of the Stadium Scene trademark. We were advised to fill out a form with the legal team, and I received confirmation that it was on file. We then managed to run three streams without issues.

But on the night of August 21st, our stream was pulled down again without any specific reason. After another conversation with a Meta support agent who assured me that there was nothing wrong with our account, I received a notification about 30 minutes later that our Facebook page had been banned.

The Appeal Process

Of course, we appealed. We’re confident we did nothing wrong. We use Facebook to promote blog posts, live streams, and our network partners' content—nothing even remotely controversial. Facebook’s appeal process involves submitting information and screenshots explaining why you believe they made a mistake, after which you simply hope that someone will review it.

What’s Next?

Assuming we retain access to our old page, we are done live streaming on Facebook. The headaches caused by their flawed moderation tools outweigh the benefits. We’ll continue using Facebook to promote content and link to streams on other platforms, but live streaming is no longer an option for us.

Update: WE GOT OUR PAGE BACK!

Is Meta Verified For Business Worth It?

Would I recommend purchasing Meta Verified for Business? My opinion has evolved over the past 24 hours. Previously, I would have said no. But after a helpful call with a support agent who directed me to a special form that allegedly guarantees a human review, I’ve reconsidered.

When my personal account was banned, it took a month and a half for my appeal to be reviewed. In contrast, our page appeal was resolved in about 30 hours. While I can’t definitively say that Meta Verified for Business was the reason for this quicker response, it’s possible that the membership prioritized our appeal.

For now, I’ll keep the subscription to see if it helps with future issues. Access to Meta Pro Support via chat and phone has been generally helpful, but I’m not yet convinced it’s worth the cost. If it aids in growth and reach, it might be worth holding on to. I’ll keep you updated on how things progress in the coming months.