[{"content":"A shadow ban — also called stealth banning, ghost banning, or comment ghosting — is when a platform restricts the visibility of your account, posts, or comments without notifying you that anything has changed.\nYour content still appears normal to you. But other users can\u0026rsquo;t find it.\nThe important distinction Not every drop in engagement is a shadow ban. Before investigating, it helps to understand what you\u0026rsquo;re actually looking for.\n1. Confirmed restrictions The platform explicitly flags your account or content as ineligible for recommendations, search results, or other distribution features. Instagram\u0026rsquo;s Account Status screen and TikTok Studio\u0026rsquo;s video eligibility panel are examples of documented, transparent restriction systems.\n2. Suspected shadow-bans You experience reduced visibility but have no confirmation from the platform. Your posts don\u0026rsquo;t appear in searches. Your comments are invisible to others. No warning was issued.\n3. Ordinary visibility declines Algorithm changes, audience behavior shifts, increased competition, content quality drops, or technical problems can all look exactly like a shadow ban — but aren\u0026rsquo;t one. This is the most common explanation for reduced reach.\nOur investigation tools exist to help you separate evidence from suspicion.\nWhat platforms actually do Several platforms publicly document visibility restriction systems, even when they don\u0026rsquo;t use the term \u0026ldquo;shadow ban\u0026rdquo;:\nPlatform Documented mechanism Instagram Account Status, recommendation eligibility TikTok For You feed eligibility, video-level appeals Facebook Account Status, recommendation restrictions X (Twitter) Search quality filtering, automated behavior restrictions Reddit Spam filtering, inauthentic activity detection YouTube Recommendation eligibility, Restricted Mode What the research says A 2023 study of approximately 25,000 Twitter accounts found that shadow banning was relatively rare in the sampled population. Bot-like behavior and certain types of replies were the strongest predictors of restrictions — not political content or follower count.\nThis matters because it means most people experiencing drops in engagement are not shadow-banned. Our checker is designed to help you find out which category you\u0026rsquo;re in.\nThe six types of shadow banning Content suppression — Posts are published but hidden from distribution Search suppression — Your username or posts don\u0026rsquo;t appear in search results Recommendation suppression — Existing followers can still see you, but you\u0026rsquo;re excluded from reaching new audiences Comment suppression — Your comments appear to you but are hidden or collapsed for others Notification suppression — Replies and mentions aren\u0026rsquo;t surfaced in others\u0026rsquo; feeds Audience distribution reduction — Substantially less exposure across all channels → Use our free checker to investigate your account\n","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/guides/what-is-shadow-banning/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA shadow ban — also called stealth banning, ghost banning, or comment ghosting — is when a platform restricts the visibility of your account, posts, or comments \u003cstrong\u003ewithout notifying you that anything has changed.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour content still appears normal to you. But other users can\u0026rsquo;t find it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-important-distinction\"\u003eThe important distinction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot every drop in engagement is a shadow ban. Before investigating, it helps to understand what you\u0026rsquo;re actually looking for.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What Is Shadow Banning? The Definitive Guide"},{"content":"How much a platform owes you depends mostly on where you live. Here\u0026rsquo;s a plain-English summary for the three places most of our visitors are in.\nThis page is general information, not legal advice. Laws and platform policies change. For a serious dispute, especially one involving income, talk to a lawyer.\nEuropean Union: the Digital Services Act The EU\u0026rsquo;s Digital Services Act (DSA) gives users in the EU the strongest protections anywhere. It has applied to all online platforms since February 2024.\nYou have a right to know why (Article 17) When a platform removes your content, limits its visibility (including demoting it), suspends your account or cuts off monetisation, it generally has to give you a statement of reasons. That means what it did, why, which rule it relied on, and whether automation was involved.\nA shadow ban with no notice at all is exactly what this rule is meant to prevent. If you\u0026rsquo;re in the EU and think you\u0026rsquo;ve been restricted, you can ask the platform for a statement of reasons. Our appeal letter generator can add that request for you.\nYou have a right to a free appeal (Article 20) Platforms have to run a free, online complaint system that you can use for at least six months after a decision. Complaints have to be handled promptly, and not by automation alone.\nYou can go to an independent body (Article 21) If the internal appeal doesn\u0026rsquo;t work out, you can take the dispute to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body. These are independent organisations approved by EU regulators. Some, like Appeals Centre Europe, handle cases for major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. For users they\u0026rsquo;re free or cost a nominal fee, and if you win, the platform pays. Their decisions aren\u0026rsquo;t legally binding, but platforms have to engage with them in good faith.\nThe European Commission publishes the list of certified bodies.\nYou can complain to a regulator Each EU country has a Digital Services Coordinator, the national regulator for the DSA. You can file a complaint with yours if a platform isn\u0026rsquo;t following the rules, for example by never giving reasons or ignoring appeals.\nUnited Kingdom: the Online Safety Act The UK\u0026rsquo;s Online Safety Act 2023 mainly targets illegal and harmful content, but it also requires covered services to have complaints procedures. That includes complaints from users whose content has been taken down or restricted. Ofcom is the regulator, and the rules are being phased in. In practice, UK users should use each platform\u0026rsquo;s own appeal process first and keep good records.\nUnited States US law gives users far fewer rights here:\nThe First Amendment limits the government, not private companies. Platforms are generally free to decide what they host and recommend. Section 230 protects platforms\u0026rsquo; good-faith moderation decisions from most lawsuits. There\u0026rsquo;s no general legal right to an appeal or an explanation. What you get depends on each platform\u0026rsquo;s own policies. Some states have passed laws on platform moderation. They\u0026rsquo;ve been heavily challenged in court, and how they apply is still unsettled. That makes the platform\u0026rsquo;s own appeal process your main route in the US, so documentation and a clear, polite appeal matter even more. Some platforms offer extra options. Meta\u0026rsquo;s independent Oversight Board, for example, accepts appeals about Facebook, Instagram and Threads decisions for a short window after Meta\u0026rsquo;s final decision. It takes on only a small number of cases.\nEverywhere: protect yourself Keep records. Dated screenshots of notices, failed visibility tests and analytics are your strongest evidence. The checker helps you collect them. Read the rules you were flagged under. Appeals that address the specific rule do better. Download your data. Most platforms let you export your posts and account data. Do it regularly, especially if your income depends on an account. Don\u0026rsquo;t rely on one platform. An email list or your own website can\u0026rsquo;t be shadow-banned. Next steps Pick your platform\u0026rsquo;s appeal guide Write your appeal Run a shadow-ban check ","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/your-rights/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHow much a platform owes you depends mostly on \u003cstrong\u003ewhere you live\u003c/strong\u003e. Here\u0026rsquo;s a plain-English summary for the three places most of our visitors are in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis page is general information, not legal advice. Laws and platform policies change. For a serious dispute, especially one involving income, talk to a lawyer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"european-union-the-digital-services-act\"\u003eEuropean Union: the Digital Services Act\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe EU\u0026rsquo;s \u003cstrong\u003eDigital Services Act (DSA)\u003c/strong\u003e gives users in the EU the strongest protections anywhere. It has applied to all online platforms since February 2024.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Know Your Rights"},{"content":"The short version\nNo accounts, no tracking, no ads, no analytics. We don\u0026rsquo;t use cookies to follow you around. Your checker answers stay on your device. They\u0026rsquo;re saved in your own browser, never sent to us. Appeal letters are never stored. The generator runs entirely in your browser. We never ask for your social media passwords. Not now, not ever. Our host, Cloudflare, sees basic technical data, like every website host does, so it can deliver and protect the site. Last updated: November 10, 2026\nWho we are Shadow-Banned Help (\u0026ldquo;we\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;us\u0026rdquo;) runs this website to help people understand and respond to visibility restrictions on social media. If you have a question about privacy, contact us at shadowbanhelpme@gmail.com.\nWhat we collect Almost nothing. There are no sign-ups, no contact forms that send data to us, no advertising trackers and no analytics tools on this site. We don\u0026rsquo;t build profiles of visitors, and we don\u0026rsquo;t sell or share personal data, because we don\u0026rsquo;t hold any.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s stored on your device Some tools save your progress in your browser\u0026rsquo;s local storage. That data stays on your computer or phone and is never sent to us:\nWhat Why How long Your answers in the Shadow-Ban Checker So you can leave and come back without losing your place Until you click Start over or clear your browser data Your Quick Poll vote on the home page So the poll remembers you\u0026rsquo;ve voted Until you clear your browser data Small display settings (such as menu scroll position) To keep the page layout consistent Until you clear your browser data You can delete all of it at any time by clearing your browser\u0026rsquo;s site data for this website.\nThe Appeal Letter Generator doesn\u0026rsquo;t save anything. What you type exists only on that page and disappears when you close it.\nCopy buttons put text on your clipboard only when you click them. We never read your clipboard.\nSite search runs in your browser. Your search terms aren\u0026rsquo;t sent to us or anyone else.\nHosting and security (Cloudflare) This site is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Like any web host, Cloudflare automatically processes technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type, the page you requested and the time. It uses this to deliver pages, keep the site fast, and protect it from attacks and abuse. Cloudflare may set strictly necessary security cookies for this purpose.\nWe don\u0026rsquo;t use this information to identify or track individual visitors. Cloudflare handles it under its own privacy policy, which you can find on cloudflare.com.\nThe checks and your social media accounts The free checker works only from tests you run yourself and your yes/no answers. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t connect to your social media accounts, and we never ask for your password.\nLinks to other websites Our guides link to social media platforms and other sites. Once you leave this site, their privacy policies apply, not ours.\nFeatures we may add later We\u0026rsquo;re planning features such as a paid Deep Search, community accounts and advertising. None of these are live today. Before any of them launch, we will:\nupdate this policy to explain exactly what data the feature uses and why, ask for your consent where the law requires it, and for anything that connects to your social accounts, use the platform\u0026rsquo;s official sign-in (OAuth), so we never see or store your password. Children This site isn\u0026rsquo;t aimed at children under 13, and we don\u0026rsquo;t knowingly collect information from anyone. Since we don\u0026rsquo;t collect personal data at all, there\u0026rsquo;s nothing for a child to give us.\nYour rights Depending on where you live, laws such as the EU and UK GDPR or the California CCPA/CPRA give you rights to access, correct or delete personal data, and to object to certain uses of it.\nBecause we don\u0026rsquo;t collect or store personal data about you, there\u0026rsquo;s usually nothing for us to hand over or delete. Your checker answers are already under your control in your own browser. If you have questions or think we hold something about you, contact us at shadowbanhelpme@gmail.com and we\u0026rsquo;ll respond within 30 days.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re in the EU or UK, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.\nChanges to this policy If we change how this site handles data, we\u0026rsquo;ll update this page and the \u0026ldquo;Last updated\u0026rdquo; date at the top. If a change is significant, such as launching a feature that collects data, we\u0026rsquo;ll also announce it on the home page.\nContact Questions about this policy: shadowbanhelpme@gmail.com\n","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/privacy/","summary":"\u003cdiv class=\"pp-summary\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe short version\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo accounts, no tracking, no ads, no analytics.\u003c/strong\u003e We don\u0026rsquo;t use cookies to follow you around.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour checker answers stay on your device.\u003c/strong\u003e They\u0026rsquo;re saved in your own browser, never sent to us.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAppeal letters are never stored.\u003c/strong\u003e The generator runs entirely in your browser.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWe never ask for your social media passwords.\u003c/strong\u003e Not now, not ever.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur host, Cloudflare, sees basic technical data\u003c/strong\u003e, like every website host does, so it can deliver and protect the site.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLast updated: November 10, 2026\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Privacy Policy"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/appeal-letter/","summary":"","title":"Appeal Letter Generator"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/facebook/","summary":"","title":"Facebook Shadow-Ban Check"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/facebook/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on Facebook"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/instagram/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on Instagram"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/reddit/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on Reddit"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/tiktok/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on TikTok"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/twitter/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on X / Twitter"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/rights/youtube/","summary":"","title":"How to Appeal on YouTube"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/instagram/","summary":"","title":"Instagram Shadow-Ban Check"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/reddit/","summary":"","title":"Reddit Shadow-Ban Check"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/tiktok/","summary":"","title":"TikTok Shadow-Ban Check"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/twitter/","summary":"","title":"X / Twitter Shadow-Ban Check"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://shadow-banned.help/checker/youtube/","summary":"","title":"YouTube Shadow-Ban Check"}]