Legal Recovery of Hacked Instagram and Disabled Facebook Accounts for Corporate Brand Owner

The client is a nationally recognised importer and retailer of marine products, including boats, engines, and marine accessories. They operated a primary Facebook Business Page and multiple brand-specific pages, using Meta platforms for advertising, customer engagement, and promotional campaigns. A personal Instagram account was also used for customer interaction and brand storytelling.

The client’s personal Instagram account, which held admin privileges across their Meta business assets, was hacked. Meta’s automated enforcement flagged the account and imposed platform-wide restrictions:

• The main Facebook Business Page was disabled
• Several brand-specific Facebook pages were taken offline
• The Meta Ads Manager was suspended, disrupting live marketing campaigns

The client’s internal team submitted several appeals, but received no actionable support from Meta. Operational disruption escalated, prompting the client to seek legal assistance.

Chetcuti Cauchi’s Technology and Digital Law team delivered structured legal intervention to restore access and reduce future enforcement risk. This included:

• Legal analysis of Meta’s Terms and enforcement conduct under EU law.
• Evidence compilation to confirm legitimate ownership, usage, and breach sequence.
• Formal legal submissions to Meta’s legal and platform integrity teams.
• Advice on communications during the account downtime.
• Support in upgrading platform governance policies and administrative access controls.

As a result of our legal intervention:

• The client’s Instagram account was recovered, including full administrative rights
• The Facebook Business Page and all brand-specific pages were reinstated
• The Meta Ads Manager was reactivated, enabling campaign continuity
• Internal governance and account protection were improved through new layered security measures

The client regained control of their digital operations within days and implemented long-term platform safeguards.

• Personal Instagram hacks can lead to Facebook business account suspensions if account permissions are linked.
• Retailers with multi-brand Meta presences face increased exposure to cascading enforcement.
• Legal escalation can be essential where Meta’s internal processes are unresponsive.
• Platform governance should be proactively structured to prevent single point failure.

Our team provides specialised legal support for businesses affected by digital platform suspensions, hacking incidents, and content governance issues. Whether you're a retailer managing brand pages or a professional operating on Meta platforms, we offer discreet, strategic solutions to help you restore access, protect your reputation, and safeguard your digital operations.