Hacker News: smnrg

The Postcard and the Thing Itself (On Falling in Love with Ideas)

smnrg — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:27:52 +0000

Article URL: https://simone.org/the-postcard-and-the-thing-itself-on-falling-in-love-with-ideas/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45734141

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

New comment by smnrg in "Ask HN: IG banned me over my ex's retracted claim on a dog photo. Human review?"

smnrg — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 22:06:10 +0000

Didn't know about this. Thanks! Although, as paradoxically expected, in order to use it you need an active IG account. Which is... the main problem. I was also advised to write to the California AG.

New comment by smnrg in "Ask HN: IG banned me over my ex's retracted claim on a dog photo. Human review?"

smnrg — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:46:37 +0000

This is useful info and POV. Thanks so much for the pointers. Everything is exhausting right now, including using basic tools that became de facto behemoths of communications.

I have been trying a combination of those—though the app doesn't like GrapheneOS either, I suspect. I transitioned most of my overseas family to Signal and other channels, though some of them just won't—and I understand that.

P.S. Happy to see another Kagi user help here. :)

New comment by smnrg in "Ask HN: IG banned me over my ex's retracted claim on a dog photo. Human review?"

smnrg — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:00:07 +0000

I understand the sentiment. In principle, I agree with conscious use of these tools.

In this specific case, however, it wasn't for general browsing. After living overseas for more than a decade, you realize that, for some people, these platforms function as essential infrastructure. I can't force my old aunt on Signal or Matrix or whatever. It had become the only channel to call my 76yo uncle. Family I'd just reconnected with. This is especially true during a divorce with far away aging family members.

My post is less about my need for Instagram and more about the systemic problem: what recourse does a person have when a company's automated moderation fails and the original reason for the ban is proven invalid? That's the technical/procedural question I'm hoping to find an answer for.

Ask HN: IG banned me over my ex's retracted claim on a dog photo. Human review?

smnrg — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 20:42:03 +0000

My Instagram account was disabled after my spouse (we are parting ways) filed a copyright claim over a 6-year-old photo of my dog.

I have since spoken with him, and he has formally retracted the claim through Meta's official channels. Despite this, my account remains disabled. Every appeal I submit is lost in an automated loop.

The problem has escalated beyond the initial account. It appears my identity is now permanently flagged. Any new account I create—regardless of the email, device, or network—is automatically disabled within minutes. The enforcement action is “stuck,” persisting even though its justification has been nullified by the claimant's retraction.

I understand actions like this one are born out of pain. However, this impulsiveness has severed my only connection to family members I'd just reconnected with after more than a decade. I rejoined Instagram for this very reason, and now I'm locked out during an already difficult time.

Case ID from email alias for appeal: aazri45mhxuime (or contact form is on my website in the bio for more info)

I'm looking for a way to escalate this to a human for a manual review. Has anyone found a successful path (e.g., Attorney General complaints, privacy requests, specific contacts) to get Meta to re-evaluate a ban when their automated correction process has clearly failed?

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45365705

Points: 5

# Comments: 7

The Mirror with No Reflection

smnrg — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:20:42 +0000

Article URL: https://simone.org/mirror/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45225001

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

Consumerism: The First Universal Religion Humans Practice

smnrg — Sun, 11 May 2025 14:21:25 +0000

Article URL: https://simone.org/consumerism/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43954015

Points: 4

# Comments: 0

New comment by smnrg in "First American pope elected and will be known as Pope Leo XIV"

smnrg — Fri, 09 May 2025 00:19:30 +0000

While Americans can mean "from the US", the term "statunitensi" is how people from the US are commonly called in Italy. And in other countries. The two things are not mutually exclusive, and calling Americans for people from the US is just a figure of speech called synecdoche.