I am so triggered by a story I’ve been following and I knew I had to write a post about it. This past weekend, something happened that shook a corner of the online business world and you’ve likely seen posts from friends, businesses or people that you follow about this issue.
Sadly, a woman in one of the companies I’m partnered with, who is a top leader with thousands of people in her organization — had her entire Facebook account suspended without warning or explanation. The only given reason was she had violated community standards. But how?
She appealed the decision, but after days of helplessly waiting, it was DENIED.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t an isolated incident. From what I’ve learned, thousands of people across the country (and possibly around the world) experienced the same thing over the weekend.
The cause? Meta’s AI system, designed to “protect” the platform by scanning accounts for policy violations, made the wrong call. It royally screwed up.
And here’s the most gut-wrenching part…
- Every friendly connection and post she’s made: gone.
- Every picture, video and reel: gone.
- Every comment, direct message and group contribution: gone.
- Even though her groups still exist, everything she personally added to them has disappeared… gone.
Years of business growth, relationship building, and personal memories, wiped out in an instant.
This is more than an inconvenience. It’s devastating to someone whose business and community depend on the connections, trust, and content built on that platform.
Not to mention, think of the income that is produced as a result of utilizing the platform, now at a loss.
And it’s a stark reminder: When you build your business on rented land, the landlord can change the rules at any time (ouch)!
I believe Meta needs to be held accountable for these mistakes. A petition is currently circulating to demand action and restore affected accounts. If you care about protecting your digital presence, I encourage you to click the link below to sign it. I did.
In the meantime, here are three things you can do today to safeguard your content, your connections, and your business before something like this happens to you:
1. Download & Back Up All of Your Facebook Data
If you’ve never done this before, it’s time and if it’s been a while, here’s your reminder to do it again. All of your photos, videos, messages, contacts and posts can be saved — but you have to take action before you lose access.
Here’s how:
- Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Your Facebook Information → Download Your Information.
- Choose the date range, file format, and quality (I recommend “High” for media).
- Click Create File and wait for Facebook to notify you when it’s ready to download.
- Because the file can be huge, invest in a good external hard drive to store it securely.
2. Get Your Own Website — Like Yesterday
If you’re running a business in 2025 without a website, it’s time to fix that. Social media is not a substitute for a digital home base (and neither is your StanStore or LinkTree). Yes, I said it.
My two recommendations:
When you use my link for either platform, you can get your first month for $1 and your second month at 50% off.
A good web platform will allow you to:
- Build your email list and keep in contact with your audience (CRM).
- Offer free resources, lead magnets, and paid programs or courses.
- Blog — so your valuable content can live forever and be searchable by keyword, long after it disappears from people’s feeds.
3. Create a Private Member Community
If your website platform doesn’t let you host a private member area, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience.
This can be a space where you:
- Share exclusive education and training videos.
- Host newsletter archives and resource libraries.
- Engage your community without the noise and volatility of social media (bye-bye shady algorithm).
Social media should be your top-of-funnel connection point, not the foundation your business is built on. When you rely solely on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Tic Tok - you’re building on quicksand.
Remember, when Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down for more than 6 hours globally and the world went crazy (circa, October 4, 2021). Yeah, Billions of people were affected.
Your move: Don’t wait until you’re locked out to protect what you’ve built. Start today. Back up your data, set up your website, and build your own secure community so no algorithm or AI glitch can erase your work, memories and connections overnight.
My 15 year old Facebook account got hacked and suspended permanently last year (August 17, 2024). You can read more about it here.
Has this ever happened to you? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment below.
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