Meta has apologised after suspending the Instagram account of the “No Kings” protest movement in the United States, blaming the shutdown on automated security systems that mistakenly flagged a surge in online activity as bot traffic.
The account was taken offline for more than an hour over the weekend as thousands of demonstrators gathered across the US for the latest round of protests against President Donald Trump’s policies.
The rallies, held on Saturday, featured opposition to Trump’s deportation drive, the war in Iran and other policies, with organisers also using the events to encourage voters to participate in the November 3 midterm congressional elections.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company’s security systems detected activity involving an artificial intelligence tool from Anthropic called Claude that was reading profiles, posts and hashtags on Instagram.
According to Stone, the volume of requests increased sharply in bursts on October 17, prompting the platform’s automated protections to interpret the activity as suspicious.
“These abrupt, high-volume, sequential requests in a short period resembled automated bot traffic rather than an ordinary human browsing our systems,” Stone said in a post on X.
He added that the activity caused Meta’s automated systems to incorrectly take the No Kings Instagram account offline.
“We want to reiterate our sincere apology for the error,” Stone said.
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Although the account was restored, Meta acknowledged that resolving problems affecting organisers’ access took longer than restoring the account itself.
The No Kings Coalition, however, said the company’s explanation did not address all its concerns.
In a statement posted on Bluesky on Monday, the coalition said it had received reports that content related to the No Kings movement and early voting was inaccessible, restricted or appeared to have been suppressed across Meta’s platforms.
The organisers demanded further explanations and safeguards, arguing that an apology was insufficient with the midterm elections approaching.
“Weeks before an election, an apology isn’t enough. The public needs answers, accountability, and concrete safeguards,” the coalition said.
The account suspension occurred during a nationwide mobilisation that saw protesters gather in cities including Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta and New York.
In Washington, DC, demonstrators assembled near the site of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch to encourage early voting ahead of the congressional elections scheduled for November 3.
The incident has raised concerns among organisers about their ability to use major social media platforms to coordinate political demonstrations and share election-related information during a crucial period in the US electoral calendar.
Meta attributed the suspension to an error by its automated security systems, while the No Kings Coalition said it wanted further clarification on whether the disruption affected other movement-related content across the company’s platforms.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
