c/banned-but-not-silent

TIL my old forum account got nuked for correcting a fact about the 2008 financial crisis

Back in 2012, on a big political forum, I posted a direct quote from a Senate report showing a specific bank's role. The thread was locked, and my account was gone the next morning for 'disruptive behavior.' I just had the facts from the source material. It taught me to save screenshots and keep talking, just more carefully. Has anyone else been banned for something that was just verifiably true?

A chat with my cousin in Phoenix made me think about why some bans backfire

We were talking about a local Facebook group that booted him for arguing about water rights. He said getting banned just made him start a whole blog about it, and now more people read his stuff than ever. I always figured a ban was the end of the road, but he said it forced him to find a better place to speak. Has anyone else found a platform that actually grew their voice after a shutdown?

Got a 30-day ban from a local news page for quoting a city council speech

Last month, I posted a direct quote from our city council meeting in Phoenix about police funding. The page admin said it 'violated community standards' and muted me for 30 days. I just copied what the councilwoman said from the official stream. Now I cross-post everything to my own blog first, then share the link. What other sites are good for hosting your own words before sharing?

Just realized my comment about a public art project got me a permanent ban from a city subreddit after a 48-hour argument with a mod.

It took me over a year and setting up my own blog to feel like I could actually discuss civic issues again without that shadow hanging over the conversation, so has anyone else had to rebuild from a platform ban like that?

Got a 7 day ban from a local history group for pointing out a statue date was wrong

The plaque on the old courthouse statue in my town says it was put up in 1921. I found city council records showing the vote was actually in 1923. I posted a photo of the record page and got banned for 'causing trouble.' It matters because if we can't fix small, clear facts, how do we talk about the big stuff? I just started a simple blog on a free site to post the records there instead. Has anyone else had to move a whole conversation somewhere else just to share proof?

I got a 30 day ban from a hiking group for posting a trail condition warning

I mean, it was just a picture of a washed-out bridge on the Maple Pass Loop last month with a note to be careful. The mod said it was 'fear-mongering' and removed it. I waited out the ban, but now I just share the same info in the comments under other people's posts. It feels silly, but it works. Has anyone else had to find these little workarounds after getting shut down for trying to help?

Got booted from a local Facebook group for posting about a closed park trail

I live near the Pine Ridge trails in Oregon, and last month they blocked off the main path without any notice. I posted a photo of the chain link fence with a comment asking why it happened. The group admin deleted my post within an hour and banned me, saying it was 'causing drama'. I realized they just wanted a happy echo chamber, not real talk about our town. How do you keep sharing local news when the main online spot shuts you down?

Got a 30 day ban from a local Facebook group for arguing about the new library policy in Springfield

I had to pick between just letting it go or making a whole new account to keep talking. I made the new account, but it got flagged and removed in about 2 days. Has anyone else had their workaround fail that fast, and what did you try next?

I got booted from a local parenting group for doubting the 2020 Portland wildfire smoke reports

Back when the air quality maps showed our area as 'hazardous', I posted that my own meter read 'moderate' and asked if the data could be off. I was called a conspiracy theorist and banned within an hour. A week later, the state agency quietly corrected a sensor error for our zip code. Has anyone else been blocked just for asking a simple, fact-based question?

Warning: Got a 30-day ban from a local Facebook group for posting a link to a police scanner feed during a protest.

The admin called it 'inciting unrest', but I just wanted people to hear the actual situation. Anyone else get hit for sharing public info?

Got a 7 day suspension from the Nextdoor app for saying the new traffic circle is a hazard.

Got a 30 day ban from a local Facebook group for posting a photo of a closed playground

Our town closed the main park playground for repairs back in March. I walked by and saw the fence was down, equipment looked fine, so I posted a picture asking if anyone knew when it would reopen. An admin deleted it within an hour, saying I was 'spreading misinformation' and 'encouraging unsafe use.' I had a choice: let it go, or message the admin group to ask what rule I broke. I sent the message. They said my post could make people ignore the closure, then muted me for 24 hours. When I could talk again, I posted the town's own public works schedule showing the project was done, asking why that was banned. That got me the 30 day ban. It felt so silly, but also wrong. Has anyone else been banned for something this small, and did you just find another place to talk?

Honestly, getting banned from a big subreddit for a climate data post made me switch to my own blog, and the control is way better.

Ngl, after a mod on r/science permanently banned me for linking to a peer-reviewed study from a university they didn't like, I spent a weekend setting up a simple WordPress site, and now I can post the full context and data without someone else deciding what 'counts'.

Got a 30-day ban from a local group for posting a photo of a protest sign

I live in a small town and our main community page on Facebook is run by a few people who don't like any talk about politics. Last month, I posted a picture of a handmade sign from a rally about library funding with the text 'Fund Our Books'. It wasn't even that strong, but the mods called it 'divisive' and gave me a full month ban from posting or commenting. I learned that just sharing a visual can get you in trouble if someone decides it's against their vibe. So now, I take screenshots of the bans and the rules they say I broke, and I post those images to my own profile with a clear explanation. It lets me keep telling the story without being on their page. Has anyone else had a simple photo cause a big ban like that?

Shoutout to the guy who got his account locked for posting a screenshot of a weather map

After my local Facebook group deleted my comment for sharing a public health department chart showing flu rates, I had to choose between making a new account or just posting the image on my own profile with a link, and I picked the second option which actually got more shares from people who went looking for it.

My old neighborhood group banned me for warning about a tree service that cost me $1200

I posted the invoice and their company name after they butchered my oak, and the mods called it 'targeted harassment'. Has anyone else found a good place to post honest warnings after a ban like that?

Got a 30 day ban from a local group for calling out a shady contractor by name

I posted a photo of a botched panel install in a neighborhood Facebook group, named the guy's company, and got banned for 'targeted harassment' the next morning. I changed my approach and now I just post the photos with the address blurred and ask 'What's wrong with this picture?' without naming names. How do you warn people without getting the boot?

Got my account locked on a local news site for pointing out a missing detail

It was last Thursday, I was reading an article about a new city park plan. The piece kept talking about 'community input' but didn't mention the public meeting was held at 2 PM on a Tuesday. I mean, who can go then? I left a comment saying 'Maybe the time made it hard for working people to give that input.' The next day, my account was locked for 'disruptive behavior.' I had to email them three times to even get a reply, which just said my comment violated their 'civility policy.' It's weird, you know? They want discussion but only the kind that doesn't question anything. I'm just using a different browser now to read the site. Has anyone else had a news site shut them down for something that small?

Got my account locked for posting about a local election on a city subreddit

I posted a link to a public record showing a candidate in our Phoenix city council race had three unpaid property tax liens. The mods said it was 'targeted harassment' and locked my account for 30 days. I moved the whole post to my own blog with screenshots of the county assessor's site. Has anyone else had a local subreddit shut down basic fact checking?

Got banned from a cat meme group for hitting 100 posts about my orange tabby

Apparently the mods thought I was 'spamming the feed' with my daily pictures of Garfield, even though people kept asking for more. Has anyone else gotten the boot for just being too dedicated?

Serious question, when did 'shadowban' stop meaning what it actually means?

I got a 30 day mute in a big gaming group for correcting a wildly wrong patch note rumor, and now people call any drop in engagement a shadowban. A real shadowban is when your posts are hidden from everyone but you, not just lower views. Anyone else see terms get watered down until they're useless?

Overheard a guy at the coffee shop say his gardening group chat got shut down for talking about seed saving laws.

He was telling his friend they just moved the chat to a different app and kept going. It made me think about how many small, specific groups get hit for stuff that seems harmless. What's the weirdest rule you've seen used to shut down a talk?

My town council meeting cut my mic for naming a local company that dumped waste.

I kept quiet for months thinking I was wrong, but seeing the same trucks at the river last Tuesday made me start a newsletter instead.

Got my account locked for a comment about a city park project in Cincinnati

I posted a detailed critique of the budget for a local playground rebuild on a neighborhood app, pointing out the $85,000 cost for a single piece of equipment. The next morning, my account was suspended for 'disruptive behavior' with no specific rule cited. Has anyone else had a local group shut down discussion on public spending, and where did you move the conversation?

Got banned from a local Facebook group for posting about a city council vote, now I just use Nextdoor