LOS ANGELES — Sexologist Dr. Susan Block has reported she has filed a complaint against Meta seeking arbitration for “wrongful business practices,” including lack of accountability, algorithmic discrimination and deactivation of her sex advice accounts.
In the complaint, Block states that she built and curated her Facebook and Instagram profiles over many years, starting in 2008, always adhering to the platforms’ terms and conditions. She alleges that shortly after surpassing 10,000 Facebook followers, Meta shut down both her Facebook and Instagram accounts and banned her from all Meta sites and apps.
Block is represented by law firm Mayer-Brown.
Block released a statement claiming, “Meta’s wanton, algorithmic and unwarranted deactivation of my accounts has destroyed 15 years of hard labor in its social media mines, cut me off from essential communication channels, damaged my reputation and infringed upon my freedom of speech as well as the freedom of my friends, family and colleagues to hear me speak on their Meta feeds and in Messenger.”
The deactivation, she added, “represents the normalization of dehumanization. AI of this kind is artificial ignorance. It’s killing our humanity first, on its way to killing all the humans.”
Block’s legal team contends that META’s actions constitute a breach of contract and violate fundamental principles of fairness, free speech and due process. They argue that the company’s failure to provide any warning, explanation, opportunity to address any alleged community guidelines violations, or recourse for the deactivation constitutes an abuse of power, effectively and unjustly silencing her voice and depriving her of access to an essential digital public sphere.
“Of course, this is not just about me,” Block noted. “Meta activates and deactivates millions of people, doing great damage to our digital lives, mental health, personal relationships, art, work, fan bases and reputations. Sadly, most people cannot fight back. I am fighting back. No individual or entity should wield unchecked power to silence voices they disagree with in the public square. Mark Zuckerberg may consider it his ‘personal fiefdom,’ but Meta’s mega monopoly makes up such a large portion of the digital public square — it should be open to the public.”
According to Block, the case is scheduled for an arbitration hearing in Los Angeles on June 26.