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Ask HN: How do I make an Instagram account that doesn’t get banned?
5 points by nojs on Oct 1, 2022 | hide | past | favorite | 7 comments
After moving to a new city, I decided to sign up for instagram about a week ago.

Immediately after I finished creating the account, I got a message saying it was suspended and I could appeal if I wanted to. Background:

- Never had an account or logged into IG before

- No VPN, and signing up from a first-world country

- Adblocking extensions disabled

- Never posted, commented, shared anything, the account was banned immediately before I could even upload a profile photo.

I appealed (which meant sending a photo holding a handwritten code), and 36 hours later got an email saying sorry and that my account was banned in error. Great!

I opened the app, signed in, uploaded a profile photo, clicked around a bit and then the same message appeared again - I was again suspended. Again, I send a photo with my face holding a new handwritten code. And again, they apologised and unbanned the account.

Unfortunately, when I went to use the app my account is banned for a third time!

Since there's no humans anymore, I figure I'm dealing purely with ML algorithms at this point. So what can I do to prevent myself being classified as a bad guy?



You might be better off ignoring social media, but one suggestion would be to find some older friend/relative who doesn't care about online stuff and use their phone to verify your account. It should be unassociated with whatever blocker they have on your number.


Did you link your phone number to the account? That’s usually what stops the ban cycle. It sucks but these days most people who sign up without a phone number are bots so they put you through the ringer to prove you’re real


I definitely verified my phone number twice as part of the “appeal” process. I can’t check if it’s on the account until I can log in though :D



Ban Instagram from your life. It's better.


New phone number, new email, reset your phone, usually that works


Pay for the hosting yourself?




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