In recent weeks, more than a hundred Instagram accounts, including many from the LGBTQIA+ community, have been removed. Several Dutch organisations have been affected and say they are unable to get clear answers from parent company Meta.

It is the second time in a short period that accounts have disappeared. In some cases, administrators received only a general notification that guidelines had been violated, while others say they received no explanation at all. Among the affected accounts are Amsterdam-based organisations such as The Queer Agenda, Club Church, Nieuwezijds and Tillatec.

According to digital civil rights organisation Bits of Freedom, Meta is required under European legislation to provide transparency and ensure that users can appeal decisions and contact a real person. In practice, that appears to be lacking.

Account administrators describe the situation as arbitrary. “After the previous suspension, we didn’t post anything, yet we were removed again,” said Micklin Korsuize, co-founder of The Queer Agenda. Caspar Pisters of Club Church also says he does not understand what happened. After rebuilding an account to thousands of followers, it was removed again without warning.

The impact is significant. Clubs and organisations rely heavily on Instagram to reach their audiences. Tillatec, for example, lost 40,000 followers. According to researchers, minority groups are disproportionately affected, possibly due to automated moderation systems or coordinated reporting.

Meta has so far not responded to requests for clarification.