How much a platform owes you depends mostly on where you live. Here’s a plain-English summary for the three places most of our visitors are in.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws and platform policies change. For a serious dispute, especially one involving income, talk to a lawyer.
European Union: the Digital Services Act
The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) gives users in the EU the strongest protections anywhere. It has applied to all online platforms since February 2024.
You 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.
A shadow ban with no notice at all is exactly what this rule is meant to prevent. If you’re in the EU and think you’ve been restricted, you can ask the platform for a statement of reasons. Our appeal letter generator can add that request for you.
You 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.
You can go to an independent body (Article 21)
If the internal appeal doesn’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’re free or cost a nominal fee, and if you win, the platform pays. Their decisions aren’t legally binding, but platforms have to engage with them in good faith.
The European Commission publishes the list of certified bodies.
You 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’t following the rules, for example by never giving reasons or ignoring appeals.
United Kingdom: the Online Safety Act
The UK’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’s own appeal process first and keep good records.
United States
US law gives users far fewer rights here:
- The First Amendment limits the government, not private companies. Platforms are generally free to decide what they host and recommend.
- Section 230 protects platforms’ good-faith moderation decisions from most lawsuits.
- There’s no general legal right to an appeal or an explanation. What you get depends on each platform’s own policies.
- Some states have passed laws on platform moderation. They’ve been heavily challenged in court, and how they apply is still unsettled.
That makes the platform’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’s independent Oversight Board, for example, accepts appeals about Facebook, Instagram and Threads decisions for a short window after Meta’s final decision. It takes on only a small number of cases.
Everywhere: 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’t rely on one platform. An email list or your own website can’t be shadow-banned.