Meta faces scrutiny over political speech

Meta is facing questions from Democratic senators and state attorneys general over the suspension of an anti-Trump protest group's Instagram account, raising concerns about the company's handling of political speech just days before the November 3 congressional elections.

A coalition of 14 attorneys general on Monday demanded that Meta explain why the No Kings Coalition's Instagram account was suspended during nationwide demonstrations on October 17 and what safeguards it has put in place to prevent similar disruptions.

The move followed an October 22 letter from five Democratic senators to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeking answers about the company's automated content moderation systems and whether political organisations could be wrongly targeted.

Meta has acknowledged that the suspension was a mistake, attributing it to unusually high online activity that its systems apparently identified as suspicious automated behaviour.

The No Kings Coalition said its Instagram account was suspended around 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on October 17, as demonstrations were underway across the country.

The account became publicly accessible again about 90 minutes later, but its administrators remained unable to access it for several more hours. Full access was restored more than four hours after the initial suspension, according to the coalition.

The disruption prevented organisers from using the account to communicate with supporters and distribute information during the demonstrations.

Meta attributed the suspension to a surge in activity resembling automated bot traffic rather than ordinary human engagement, according to the attorneys general.

The company has not been shown to have deliberately targeted the group because of its political views.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong led the coalition, which included attorneys general from California, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts and Washington.

The officials asked Meta to explain when it became aware of the suspension, how the decision was made and what steps were taken to restore the account.

They also sought information about whether human reviewers were involved and whether other legitimate election-related accounts had been affected.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said social media platforms played an important role in political communication.

“Millions of Californians rely on social media to organize, read news, and obtain information about upcoming elections,” Bonta said.

He said the suspension occurred during the coalition's efforts to encourage early voting.

The attorneys general asked Meta to respond by October 29, five days before the congressional elections.

The state officials' intervention followed a letter from Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

The lawmakers questioned whether Meta's automated enforcement systems could distinguish legitimate political organising from suspicious online activity.

They sought details about the company's procedures for reviewing account suspensions and restoring access when mistakes occur.

The senators also asked whether Meta representatives had communicated with the Trump administration about the No Kings movement or other political demonstrations.

The inquiry did not establish that the administration had directed or influenced the suspension.

The lawmakers asked what measures Meta would take to protect political communication before and during the November 3 elections.

The controversy has drawn attention to the reliance of major technology companies on automated systems to detect spam, fraudulent engagement and coordinated online manipulation.

Such systems can flag sudden increases in activity, including large numbers of posts, comments or interactions.

Political demonstrations can generate similar surges as supporters share information and coordinate activities.

The attorneys general questioned whether Meta had adequate procedures to distinguish legitimate political participation from potentially harmful automated behaviour.

The dispute comes as political organisations across the United States intensify their campaigns ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of the House of Representatives and Senate.