Meta apologizes for suspending No Kings Coalition Instagram account

Meta has apologized for the accidental suspension of the No Kings Coalition’s Instagram account during a nationwide day of action on October 17, 2026. The suspension occurred at the height of nearly 3,000 organized events across the United States aimed at mobilizing early voters.

Initially, Meta attributed the lockout to automated security systems triggered by high-frequency posting. However, the company later revised its explanation, stating that the suspension was caused by an AI tool, specifically Anthropic’s Claude, which was generating an unusually high volume of requests to scan posts and hashtags. Meta’s security mechanisms incorrectly flagged this activity as bot-like traffic.

While the account was publicly visible again after approximately 90 minutes, administrators remained locked out of the account’s backend for several hours. No Kings organizers, including Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation, calling for greater accountability and transparency regarding social media restrictions during election cycles.