Account Disabled: A Different Approach to Account Terminations
Hello! Before I start, I would like to say that I am not here to bash Discord in any way, shape, or form. I used to bash Discord for the mess that I went through in regards to getting terminated, but I have moved on since then. I want to suggest things that my accounts' ban could have been handled differently, and see what other people would think of it. I'll start with a little bit of background on the situation first.
The most confusing thing I had during the situation was whether or not I was even allowed back on the platform. I don't understand what constitutes a "You're banned, don't come back" or a "Account deleted but if you agree to follow TOS you may return". And honestly, I am still not 100% sure whether I'm allowed back, and I am paranoid about waking up to another email with an account termination, particularly for being an alt of a banned user. If I was banned from the platform, would the email say that? And that brings me up to another point of this post and suggestion.
The reason for my accounts' take-down (some which I didn't even use in SEVERAL months) was vague and there was a lot behind it. That is one thing I have noticed about T&S on here. There seems to be a sense of not caring once you are hit. There's nothing you can say or do to get it back, and even with the appeal, I felt like I was talking to a brick wall. I want to learn what I did to lose my account. I want to become a better person leaving the platform than when I first signed up, but I can't do that not knowing what exactly I did that resulted in the ban. The reason I was given was "Circumventing tools that enable users to protect themselves," but I strictly follow the TOS and I would not evade a ban or block because I respect user privacy. I don't even know the server or user block I allegedly evaded (If I did, I would have honestly been a lot less upset).
Additionally, there was a lot behind the termination. The ban took place 2 days after my friend's report against a bot owner for leaking private information was updated, which resulted in the bot's ban from the platform. I strongly believe my account was taken down because the reporter pinpointed the users responsible for that report that resulted in the bot's ban and fabricated a report that was somehow accepted, because my friend who made the report was suspended for leaking private information. I wasn't able to say this because all I got was "Your account was disabled for violation of TOS" when I tried to email T&S. There are over 250,000,000 users on the platform, so I understand that it is very possible for someone to get falsely banned for alleged TOS violations and the appeal not being good enough. I was so emotional when I wrote the appeal and I'm pretty sure that was a big reason why my appeal was denied. Because I lost almost 3 years of work because my friend did the right thing by reporting them, and my friend no longer has a clean record. Anyways, the purpose of this post isn't to criticize the team or tell everyone my story. It is to suggest the following for T&S, as well as hearing the public's thoughts on this platform with the following changes:
1. Be less vague on account bans. Did I ban evade, or evaded a user block? The email was never specific on that and I wish it was being how much Discord meant to me.
2. Inform the user whether they are allowed back on the platform on another account or not. As I have said in the beginning, I don't know whether I'm even allowed to be on the platform or not, all I know is my accounts are gone.
3. Before swinging the hammer, take into consideration other reports that are currently ongoing against the reporter. I know this case was a retaliation report and I didn't have a voice to say that because all I got was "We have confirmed this violation."
4. Include any content that was said that resulted in the ban. Other social media platforms show what content was posted that resulted in a moderation on the platform, and if Discord wants to be transparent, I feel like this would be a step in the right direction. Because then users who feel like appealing it will know more about what they did so they don't just say "I don't know what I said, please unban". That would save more time for everyone, on both the user's end for taking the time to write the appeal, and Trust & Safety taking the time to read the appeal, copying and pasting "We are not reinstating this account", and send.
That's pretty much all I have to say on this matter. Like I said, I'm not upset about the situation because I've moved on, but I'm still confused on if I'm allowed on the platform. As a result of this confusion, I'm slowly losing my sense of belonging on the platform. What are your thoughts on all this? Do you think these 4 suggestions would help make the platform better, or do you think it would only make things worse?
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whoop, looks like its back
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I am 15 and I put my age accidentally 3 because discord say something like want stay up to date. My last account LepiEZ_69#0042
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How i can get it back
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Hello LepiEZ_69,
I'm so sorry to hear that. However, you cannot get support here, you can send your support ticket to the Trust & Safety team at https://dis.gd/contact.
Or you can directly contact abuse@discordapp.com via e-mail
Best Regards,
Beatrice3 -
the same thing happened to me :/
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Yep, my old account was banned for no reason with no explanation. Careful friends
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Discord can take it's political dictatorship and shove it up its ass, i'm done with it. They'll disable this one in about 24 hours, just watch
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