How Do I Get My Facebook Account out of Suspension?
By Lynn Burbeck
To protect the security of its users, Facebook carefully monitors the site for suspicious and illegal activity. Sometimes this activity involves hackers who try to gain access to a user's personal Facebook profile, while other times it involves suspicions of harassment. Depending on the reason why an account is suspended, the user may receive notice beforehand. In many cases, however, users aren't notified until they unsuccessfully try to log in to their accounts.
Suspended or Disabled
Before you can take steps to regain access to your Facebook account, first determine whether your account was suspended or disabled. Accounts are suspended when Facebook suspects that there were unauthorized login attempts. In such instances, the accounts are essentially locked to protect the user's personal information. In cases where an account is disabled, Facebook has completely disabled access to your account and profile because they believe you've violated their terms of service. In either case, you'll be informed whether your account was suspended or disabled when you attempt to log in.
Confirm Identity
Whether your account has been suspended or disabled, you must confirm your identity before you can access your account. For suspended accounts, this generally requires that you enter a phone number, along with confirming some personal details that only you as the account holder would know -- such as your birth date. For disabled accounts, photo identification is required.
File an Appeal
If you believe that your Facebook account was unfairly disabled, you can file an appeal. This appeal form is available in the Help section of the Facebook website, and also appears when users receive their disabled account notice. To file an appeal, the first step is to prove your identity by entering your full legal name, birthday and attaching a copy of your government-issued photo identification. If you don't have a government-issued ID, you must provide two alternative forms of identification, such as a school ID card, library card, birth certificate, utility bill or social security card. Once Facebook staff has an opportunity to review the appeal, they'll be in contact for further information.
Considerations
If your account has been suspended because of unauthorized attempts to access your account, you may want to increase security by enabling login notifications and login approvals in the Privacy section of your Facebook Settings menu. With login notifications, you'll instantly receive a text message or email when someone logs in to your account from an unrecognized device. With login approvals, anyone attempting to log in to your account from an unrecognized device will need to enter a unique four-digit code. This code is immediately sent as a text message to the cell phone number associated with your account.
References
Writer Bio
Lynn Burbeck is a professional writer with over five years of experience writing for the Web. She has published numerous articles for print and online media including "Grit" Magazine. Burbeck holds a B.A. in journalism and political science.