c/banned-for-speaking

Got a 7-day ban for a joke about a city council livestream

So my local city council has these long, boring YouTube livestreams. Last week, they were arguing for over an hour about a new stop sign. I commented, 'If they talk about the paint color next, I'm billing them for my time.' It was a dumb joke. Next morning, my comment was gone and I had a 7-day ban for 'disruptive behavior.' The choice was simple: make a new account or just wait it out. I waited. Honestly, the week off was kind of nice. I didn't miss the constant arguing. Has anyone else gotten a timeout for something that silly on a government page?

Got banned from a gardening group for talking about my $45 mole trap

I posted a picture of my new scissor trap after it caught three moles in a week. I said it was the best $45 I ever spent. Some people got really mad, calling it cruel and saying I should use castor oil or plant daffodils. I replied that I run a pest control business and those home fixes don't work on a real infestation. Next thing I know, I'm banned for 'promoting violence.' Has anyone else been booted for giving practical, paid-for advice that actually works?

My neighbor in Charlotte said getting banned is just a sign you made someone think

We were talking about my Instagram suspension, and he told me, 'If you never get pushback, you're just echoing the room.' Has that ever been true for you, or is it just a nice way to spin getting silenced?

Got a 7-day ban on Nextdoor for a comment about a new traffic circle

They put one in at the end of my street in Bellingham last month, and it's a mess. I posted that the design seemed bad and the city planner should have to use it every day. Nextdoor said that was a 'personal attack on a public official' and locked me out. Has anyone else gotten banned for just criticizing a city project?

My cousin said 'you can't even say the word woman anymore' and it stuck with me

We were at a family thing in Phoenix last month and he said it after getting a 7-day ban on a big social site. He just posted a link to a biology study. That's it. No comment, just the link. The ban reason said 'hateful conduct'. I always thought people were just being jerks when they got banned, but this made me look it up. Has anyone else been banned just for posting a plain source?

Got my account locked on a big forum for a joke about a video game character

So I posted a dumb joke on a gaming forum about how a certain character in a popular RPG was basically just a reskin of another one from an older game. It was just a silly comparison, nothing serious. Next thing I know, my account is permanently locked for 'targeted harassment'. I'm not even sure who I was supposedly harassing, the fictional character? I lost access to a 5 year old account with all my old guides and posts, and I had a $20 site credit in my profile from a contest win that's just gone now. The mods wouldn't even tell me which rule I broke, just sent a copy-paste reply. On one side, I get that mods have a tough job, but on the other, it feels like they're just banning anything that might cause the slightest bit of friction without actually reading the context. Has anyone else had a forum just delete their whole history over something this trivial?

Unpopular opinion: I thought my Twitter ban was about 'hate speech' for calling out a bad policy, but the screenshot a friend sent showed I'd actually broken a rule I didn't know existed.

The mod note said I 'weaponized a hashtag' by using #FireTheBoard in 12 consecutive replies during that shareholder meeting live-tweet. Anyone else get banned for a technicality you had to learn after the fact?

Just got my old Twitter account back after a 2 year ban for a dumb joke

Back in 2022, I made a sarcastic comment about a major news event. It was clearly a joke, but the mods didn't see it that way and hit me with a permanent suspension. I used to think you could just make a new account and move on. What changed was trying to organize a local meetup last month and realizing all my old contacts were gone. I finally filed a proper appeal, explaining the context, and they actually reinstated it last week. Has anyone else had luck getting an old ban reversed by just being calm and clear about it?

I got a week-long ban on a big news site for a comment about a local election

I posted that I didn't trust the vote count in my city's mayor race last fall, based on a friend who worked at the polls. I didn't swear or name anyone, just said the process seemed off. Next day, my account was locked for 'spreading false claims.' It made me realize how quick sites are to shut down talk, even when it's just a personal doubt. Has anyone else been banned for questioning an official story without being rude?

Rant: Got banned from a local news site for correcting a map error

Last Tuesday, our town's online paper posted an article about a new park, but the map they included had the location wrong by about two miles. I commented with a link to the city's official planning site, pointing out the mistake. The next morning, my comment was gone and my account was suspended for 'spreading misinformation.' I tried emailing the editor directly with the proof, but they never replied. Has anyone else been banned just for sharing a simple, verifiable fact?

Hot take: I got a permanent ban on a big forum for correcting a map mistake

I was in a history group and posted a screenshot from a documentary, pointing out they'd used a modern map border for a 1914 event... My comment got flagged for 'spreading misinformation' and I was gone in an hour. The mods wouldn't even look at my sources. It taught me that some places just want an echo chamber, not facts. Has anyone else been banned for something that was objectively true?

Found out a huge number of Reddit bans are for 'brigading' now

I was reading a report from a tech site called The Verge last week. It said that in 2023, over 40% of all subreddit bans were for 'brigading' or vote manipulation. I always figured it was mostly for hate speech or spam, but that stat really surprised me. It makes me wonder if a lot of people get caught up in it just for posting in a thread someone else linked to. Has anyone here been banned for brigading when you didn't even know you were doing it?

Got a 7 day ban from a big sub for saying a mod was acting like a hall monitor

It was last Tuesday, I made a comment on a post about a new rule change. I said the main mod there was 'acting like a power-tripping hall monitor over a typo.' Woke up the next morning to a 7 day ban for 'incivility and targeted harassment.' The message said I was 'creating a hostile environment.' It's wild that calling out a clear overreach gets you labeled as the problem. Anyone else get hit with a 'hostile environment' ban for just being blunt?

Warning: Got a permanent ban from a major subreddit for a single comment about a 2020 event

It was for saying the initial lockdowns in New York went on too long. The mods called it 'misinformation' and muted me when I asked for the rule I broke. Took about 3 years before I found a decent alternative forum that didn't just ban people for old news. Anyone know a good spot for that kind of talk now?

Rant: Got a 30-day ban on a big history forum for correcting a map date

I posted a comment under a video about the 1990s Balkan conflicts, pointing out that a map they used showed borders from 2008, not 1995 (I even linked the CIA factbook archive). The mod message said I was 'spreading conflict' and banned me for a month. Has anyone else been hit for just giving a plain fact with a source?

I got banned from a book group for one question about a character

I was in a Facebook group for a popular fantasy series, and I asked why a main villain's backstory felt rushed in the third book. I just said, 'Did anyone else think his turn to evil happened too fast?' The mods deleted my post within an hour and banned me, saying I was 'spreading negativity.' I mean, it was just a book talk question. Has anyone else been kicked out for asking a simple question like that?

Got banned from a hiking forum for one comment about trail etiquette

Last month on a popular hiking site, I replied to a post about crowded trails. I wrote, 'If you're blasting music from a speaker, you're doing it wrong.' That was it. Next morning my account was gone with a message about 'promoting negativity.' No warning, just a permanent ban. The mod who did it told me in a private message, 'Your attitude harms the community spirit.' It happened on TrailTalk.com. Has anyone else been banned for something that small on a hobby site?

Remember when you could just argue about a movie without catching a ban?

I was on a film forum last month and got a 30 day suspension for saying a certain director's new movie felt rushed. Didn't even swear, just said the third act fell apart. Back in like 2012, you could have a full blown flame war over Star Wars prequels and the worst you'd get was a temp mute. Now it feels like any opinion that isn't glowing praise gets flagged as 'toxic.' I saw three other users get banned that same week for similar mild critiques. It's like the goal shifted from discussion to just creating a positive vibe at all costs. Has anyone else noticed mods getting way quicker on the ban button over subjective stuff lately?

Got a permanent ban from a big social app for a comment about a local protest

I was talking with my friend Jake last week about the protest that shut down Main Street. He said, 'They just want to be heard, even if it's loud.' I posted something similar online, saying the disruption was annoying but maybe the point. Next morning, my account was gone for 'inciting violence.' It was just a talk about free speech. Has anyone else been banned for just discussing a public event?

Got a 30-day ban on a local news site for pointing out a factual error in their article about pressure washing chemical runoff.

I linked to the city's actual environmental guidelines pdf, which contradicted their claim, and the mod said I was 'spreading misinformation' and being 'confrontational', so has anyone else been banned for correcting a site with their own official sources?

Spent $40 on a burner phone to post on a local forum, got the number flagged anyway

I bought a cheap prepaid phone just to comment on a town planning debate after my main account got banned. The forum's mods must have flagged the new number's area code, because it was blocked within a day. Has anyone found a way around this kind of IP and device tracking that actually works?

Got a 30 day ban on a big sub for a single comment about a news story

I saw a post about a protest and just said the police response seemed heavy handed based on the video. That was it. No insults, nothing crazy. The mods said I was 'spreading misinformation' and banned me for a month. I tried to appeal, but they just muted me for 72 hours. The whole thing took about 10 minutes to happen, but I spent maybe 3 hours over the next week trying to figure out how to even talk to a human about it. Is a month fair for one mild opinion, or are mods just too quick with the hammer now?

Got a permanent ban from a local news site for saying the new bike lane data was flawed

They claimed a 40% accident drop, but the report counted the construction period when no one could use the street. Anyone else get banned for pointing out bad stats?

Honestly, my Facebook ban last month over a parking sign debate made me see how thin the line is now.

I got a permanent ban from a big history subreddit for saying the Roman Empire's fall was more about money than armies.

I posted a long comment with a few book quotes and tax records from the 400s, and the mod message just said 'bad faith revisionism' before they blocked me, so has anyone else been hit for talking about economic history there?