Exclusive: Jed Zimmer estimates he's lost close to $50,000 in earnings since his Instagram business account was suspended by Meta's AI system.
The 27-year-old fitness coach from the Gold Coast had been posting to his @the__healthproject account for six years without issue.
Then a horrifying email landed in his inbox on December 22 last year.
READ MORE: Melbourne woman recalls 'appalling' sexual assault as police continue search for offender
It said his account had been suspended for violating Meta's community standards regarding child sexual exploitation, abuse or nudity.
Zimmer felt sick.
"I know personally that it's just a total error," he told nine.com.au.
"But to have that accusation thrown around, it's a pretty sickening feeling."
Has this happened to you? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au
Especially because the account in question had nothing to do with children.
Zimmer used the account to advertise his coaching, training and nutrition services and exclusively posted health and fitness content.
The last thing he posted before the suspension was a video about supplements.
Confused as to how his account got suspended for child exploitation, Zimmer followed Meta's automated instructions to appeal the suspension.
Five minutes later he got an email saying his account had been reviewed and permanently disabled.
Since then, he's spent about $3000 trying to get it reinstated.
Zimmer paid for multiple Meta Verified subscriptions on his relatives' Facebook accounts in a bid to contact Meta, which can be difficult.
Meta Verified accounts start at $20 per month and receive 24/7 access to email or chat agent support.
Technology expert Trevor Long believes Meta's lack of human support services effectively pushes business owners like Zimmer to pay for Meta Verified for help.
"They're saying, if you don't pay us, we're not going to help you if you have problems," Long recently told A Current Affair.
"Without it, you're unlikely to ever speak with a human or get your account back."
READ MORE: Accused campground killer Greg Lynn denied bail
But the agents Zimmer spoke with couldn't help, nor could they provide him with evidence of the content on his account that had violated community standards.
"They just say they can't see anything from their end and they're not able to take it further," he claimed.
Desperate, he paid cybersecurity companies to investigate the issue but said it went nowhere.
Over the two months his account was suspended, Zimmer estimated he lost close to $50,000 in earnings.
January is one of the most lucrative months for fitness businesses but without Instagram he struggled to bring in new clients.
"I've probably only landed one or two clients since this all happened," he confessed.
"With Instagram over the last few years, it was three or five new ones come through a week. I was at max capacity."
READ MORE: Cyclone risk still high in Queensland as second tropical low could hit Brisbane
After nine.com.au contacted Meta, Zimmer's account was reinstated.
"We take action on accounts that violate our policies, and people can appeal if they think we've made a mistake," a Meta spokesperson told nine.com.au.
Zimmer was relieved to have his account back but said his experience is not an isolated glitch.
He's one of a growing number of small business owners who claim their accounts have been wrongfully suspended by Meta's AI monitoring system.
"I think this is happening to a lot more people than we realise," he said.
"Which is a scary thing."
Just last month Perth hairdresser and makeup artist Taryn Elliott had her personal and business accounts suspended over a supposed violation of community standards.
READ MORE: Apple unveils $899 MacBook Neo in surprise launch
Like Zimmer, Elliott was accused of violating child sexual exploitation and nudity rules. She denied it.
Like Zimmer, Elliott's account was reinstated after nine.com.au contacted Meta.
But thousands of frustrated users are still in strife and not all of them can speak to a journalist.
Some have called for a class action lawsuit against Meta over the account suspensions and more than 60,000 people have signed a change.org petition demanding Meta address the issue.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
- Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
- Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
- Sign up to our breaking newsletter here
