The Silent Struggle of Small Businesses: A Call to Action for Meta and Facebook
Small businesses and non-profits depend heavily on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to build their digital presence and engage with their communities. However, an alarming number of these organizations are losing access to their accounts due to convoluted policies and an unyielding lack of meaningful support from Meta. This silent struggle is costing businesses not only their online presence but also their livelihoods.
As a marketing agency owner, I have witnessed these struggles firsthand. My clients include small business owners and non-profits who have worked tirelessly to build their brands, only to face barriers when their accounts are compromised or suspended. Even with MFA (multi-factor authentication) turned on and secure passwords, malicious individuals have come up with new ways to access accounts and ruin the reputation of small businesses.
Despite having legitimate documentation and proof of ownership, rightful owners are met with delays, repeated requests, and no resolution. Many lack the technical expertise or patience to navigate Meta’s labyrinthine support system. In these moments, I’ve attempted to step in to help, but Meta’s refusal to engage with third-party representatives leaves these small businesses stranded, further compounding their sense of helplessness.
Several of my client’s cases have dragged on for months (nearly a year in one case) despite having provided all requested documentation, having numerous Meta support phone calls, screen shares, and live support chat conversations.
A Broken System
Most recently for small business owners, losing access to their Facebook or Instagram accounts often stems from linked activity between these platforms. They receive notice that an Instagram account linked to their Facebook account is suspicious. The Instagram accounts in question have foreign or completely obscure usernames. Unauthorized activity, whether flagged by users themselves or not, frequently results in account suspensions. Even when business owners provide documentation proving their identity and ownership, the system fails them. Creating a new personal profile even proves to be difficult, as their email and phone number are now blacklisted. Instead of offering a streamlined process to resolve disputes, Meta traps users in a maze of repetitive requests, long waits, and generic responses.
The Individual Burden
One of the most glaring issues is Meta's insistence that only the individual profile owner can address account issues. Third parties, such as marketing agency representatives or digital experts, are barred from liaising with Meta Support on behalf of their clients. This policy forces small business owners—many of whom lack the technical expertise or time—to navigate Meta’s overly complex system alone. As a result, users often feel stuck, helpless, or simply give up.
Marketing professionals frequently possess more patience and digital knowledge to manage these issues, yet their hands are tied. While large corporations likely have direct lines to support or dedicated account managers, small businesses are left to flounder in a system that seems almost designed to exclude them.
Meta Verified: A Missed Opportunity for Small Businesses
Meta recently introduced "Meta Verified," a subscription bundle offering premium support, identity protection, and additional features to help businesses and creators enhance their presence on the platform. While this service may benefit some users, its rollout underscores a critical flaw: small businesses locked out of their accounts cannot access Meta Verified until their rightful pages or portfolios are recovered. This creates a paradox where the very users who would benefit most from enhanced support are excluded from it during their moments of greatest need.
Offering premium support as part of a paid service is common in the software world, and if Meta has decided account recovery is a premium feature, so be it. However, the current system leaves legitimate users unable to upgrade to Meta Verified when they are in dire straits. Meanwhile, the lack of education around Meta Verified leaves many small business owners unaware of its potential benefits, further marginalizing those who struggle the most.
The Hypocrisy of Scrutiny
While legitimate small business owners are subjected to intense scrutiny, providing extensive documentation to prove ownership of their pages, Meta’s platforms are overrun with spam and scams. Live-streaming spam links offering "pay-per-view sports" or fake "home rental" opportunities are rampant. Comments sections are flooded with bots promoting "quick account recovery" services or other fraudulent schemes triggered by keywords. On Marketplace, scams abound, and anonymous AI-generated art accounts continue to monetize posts with ease. Yet, legitimate small businesses and non-profits, even when armed with proof of ownership, are met with an impossible standard of evidence. Meta’s failure to address these glaring issues underscores its misplaced priorities and leaves its most vulnerable users to shoulder the burden of an unbalanced system.
Unseen and Unsupported
Many small businesses aren’t even aware that chat support exists, let alone how to meet Meta’s endless demands for proof and verification. It’s a deliberately complicated process that seems to assume small business owners will eventually fade away. The contrast is stark: large corporations and high-profile users receive swift resolutions, while small businesses endure prolonged struggles that jeopardize their operations.
If a famous brand were to have issues, Meta would be quick to resolve and secure the account with little to no hassle. As someone who understands the pay-to-play nature of these free social media platforms, I know there's something to be said about offering premium support to advertisers dishing out top-tier dollars. But even our small budget users deserve to not be given an absolute run around when it comes to accessing their digital assets.
Meta’s negligence disproportionately affects the very groups they claim to champion. Small businesses invest years of effort and significant resources into building their online presence. They spend hard-earned money on advertising to grow their reach, and yet, when security failures occur on Meta’s platforms, they are left to fend for themselves.
The Path Forward
This systemic inequity demands change. Meta must recognize that small businesses are not expendable. They are integral to the platform’s ecosystem and revenue. To support these vital users, Meta should:
Provide dedicated support teams for small businesses and non-profits.
Allow third-party representatives, such as authorized marketing agencies, to assist in account recovery. Banks and financial institutions allow for “authorized users” to be added to support conversations with the verbal request and permission from the account owner. A similar process could be followed.
Simplify and streamline the account recovery process to minimize delays and reduce unnecessary steps.
Make Meta Verified accessible to all users, including those locked out of their accounts, to ensure equitable access to premium support.
Educate users about support resources through proactive communication.
Small businesses and non-profits deserve equitable support, especially when their livelihoods depend on Meta’s platforms. It’s time for Meta to step up and ensure that no small business is left behind in a system that prioritizes the privileged and the powerful over the determined and the deserving.
I strongly urge business owners, especially those who have been impacted, to reach out to their state and federal representatives to put collective pressure on Meta to do what is right for our communities. I do not believe legislation or increased regulation is the solution, as I tend to favor less regulation overall. However, it is essential that we stand together and make our voices heard. Meta cannot be allowed to trample on the moms and pops who are the heart and soul of our communities.
The featured image for this article was produced using MidJourney.
