Image: Instagram
Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Syenrai said most of the accounts they ban or memorialize are based on requests from paying customers. Motherboard previously reported that Instagram banners offer their services for as little as $60.“For ordinary users who get memorialized, some people take days or maybe weeks to come back,” Syenrai said.An Instagram spokesperson told Motherboard in an email that “Like other internet services, Instagram has online forms to help people report suspicious activity or to let us know a friend or family member has passed away. Unfortunately, some people abuse these forms, so we hire investigators and cybersecurity specialists to detect scammers’ tactics so we can improve and make it increasingly difficult for them.”Instagram said that the teams that review memorialization requests look at things such as matching the image, name, and date of birth in a submitted obituary with the respective account.Instagram offers a form to people who believe their account has been memorialized incorrectly when they open the app. “We’ll only be able to grant you access to this account if we’re able to verify that you’re the account owner,” the form reads.“It’s very important to have your correct date of birth, and at least one picture of yourself archived, this helps prove you are the account owner in either instance of being memorized or being banned by someone,” Syenrai said.Subscribe to our cybersecurity podcast CYBER, here. Subscribe to our new Twitch channel.Do you know anything else about banning or restoring accounts? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.