Meta Is Spying on Us: A Business Owner's Wake-Up Call
This is my firsthand story of how the big social media giant we’ve come to rely on not only spies on us but also bullies us into playing by its rules.
Let me share what happened when I got on Meta’s bad side. Back in October, I posted a seemingly harmless question to our Business Sisters community: How do you feel about being “Meta Verified”? You know, the blue checkmark thing.
The feedback I received from a handful of Business Sisters wasn’t exactly glowing. Comments like “Don’t waste your money” and “I didn’t see a difference in engagement” dominated the conversation. At first, Meta didn’t seem to notice or care. But in December, things changed. I received a formal email from Meta. It looked legit—no glaring typos, no sketchy graphics. (I’ve included a screenshot for you.)
Now, I’m no rookie. I know better than to click on unsolicited emails, so I didn’t. But something about it felt real. I decided to do some digging and googled the email text. That search led me to a YouTube video and other resources explaining how to check the status of my Business Sisters page.
Lo and behold, my page had been flagged for violating Meta’s “community policies.” The reason? That post about Meta verification. The message was clear: delete the post and my page would become “recommendable” again.
So, after taking screenshots, I complied and deleted the post. Sure enough, my page status returned to normal. But let’s be real—there wasn’t a human behind this reprimand. It was AI, trolling posts for perceived negativity and triggering an automated response.
This ticked me off, especially since I had recently spent a chunk of money promoting a community event, the Baby Please Come Home shopping event. It felt like a slap in the face. I was flagged right after giving them money!
That said, I do understand their perspective. Imagine walking into a mall with a giant sign asking, What do you think of this mall? If a crowd formed and started shouting, “This mall sucks!” security would probably ask you to leave. That’s essentially what happened to me—except the security guard was an algorithm.
Why I’m Rethinking Meta
Recent developments at Meta have made me even less inclined to support the platform. According to an update from CampTech—a fantastic Canadian resource for staying current on tech trends, which happens to be woman-owned—Meta has been making some unsettling moves:
• Appointing a new Trump-friendly policy chief and a Trump ally to its Board
• Overhauling content moderation policies
• Relocating trust and safety teams from California to Texas (the latter being a decidedly anti-feminist state that favours billionaires like Musk and company)
Fact-checking experts warn that these changes could lead to an increase in false and hateful content on the platform. For me, it’s the last straw.
Looking for A New Solution for Business Sisters
We’ve decided to stop boosting posts and advertising on Facebook and Instagram. While we’ll continue to share events and official news for now, we’re actively exploring alternatives that align better with our values.
And we’re not stopping there. We’re working on a platform that will allow Business Sisters to communicate and share directly, without the interference of a social media giant. Stay tuned!
My Advice to Business Sisters
If you’ve made it this far, here’s my takeaway: Don’t rely solely on social media to connect with customers or promote events. People are disengaging from these platforms, and genuine community engagement is becoming harder to achieve. It’s time to think creatively about how we build and maintain those connections.
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m searching. And I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you faced similar challenges with social media platforms? What alternatives have worked for you? Let’s keep the conversation going—outside the watchful eyes of Meta.
This is my firsthand story of how the big social media giant we’ve come to rely on not only spies on us but also bullies us into playing by its rules.
Let me share what happened when I got on Meta’s bad side. Back in October, I posted a seemingly harmless question to our Business Sisters community: How do you feel about being “Meta Verified”? You know, the blue checkmark thing.
The feedback I received from a handful of Business Sisters wasn’t exactly glowing. Comments like “Don’t waste your money” and “I didn’t see a difference in engagement” dominated the conversation. At first, Meta didn’t seem to notice or care. But in December, things changed. I received a formal email from Meta. It looked legit—no glaring typos, no sketchy graphics. (I’ve included a screenshot for you.)
Now, I’m no rookie. I know better than to click on unsolicited emails, so I didn’t. But something about it felt real. I decided to do some digging and googled the email text. That search led me to a YouTube video and other resources explaining how to check the status of my Business Sisters page.
Lo and behold, my page had been flagged for violating Meta’s “community policies.” The reason? That post about Meta verification. The message was clear: delete the post and my page would become “recommendable” again.
So, after taking screenshots, I complied and deleted the post. Sure enough, my page status returned to normal. But let’s be real—there wasn’t a human behind this reprimand. It was AI, trolling posts for perceived negativity and triggering an automated response.
This ticked me off, especially since I had recently spent a chunk of money promoting a community event, the Baby Please Come Home shopping event. It felt like a slap in the face. I was flagged right after giving them money!
That said, I do understand their perspective. Imagine walking into a mall with a giant sign asking, What do you think of this mall? If a crowd formed and started shouting, “This mall sucks!” security would probably ask you to leave. That’s essentially what happened to me—except the security guard was an algorithm.
Why I’m Rethinking Meta
Recent developments at Meta have made me even less inclined to support the platform. According to an update from CampTech—a fantastic Canadian resource for staying current on tech trends, which happens to be woman-owned—Meta has been making some unsettling moves:
• Appointing a new Trump-friendly policy chief and a Trump ally to its Board
• Overhauling content moderation policies
• Relocating trust and safety teams from California to Texas (the latter being a decidedly anti-feminist state that favours billionaires like Musk and company)
Fact-checking experts warn that these changes could lead to an increase in false and hateful content on the platform. For me, it’s the last straw.
Looking for A New Solution for Business Sisters
We’ve decided to stop boosting posts and advertising on Facebook and Instagram. While we’ll continue to share events and official news for now, we’re actively exploring alternatives that align better with our values.
And we’re not stopping there. We’re working on a platform that will allow Business Sisters to communicate and share directly, without the interference of a social media giant. Stay tuned!
My Advice to Business Sisters
If you’ve made it this far, here’s my takeaway: Don’t rely solely on social media to connect with customers or promote events. People are disengaging from these platforms, and genuine community engagement is becoming harder to achieve. It’s time to think creatively about how we build and maintain those connections.
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m searching. And I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you faced similar challenges with social media platforms? What alternatives have worked for you? Let’s keep the conversation going—outside the watchful eyes of Meta.
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