Instagram Allegedly Breaking Its Own Rules, Meta Magazine Accounts Now Switch To Meta Platform Inc

The Meta magazine Instagram account has now changed to a Meta Platform Inc account. (photo: instagram screenshot)

JAKARTA – When Facebook announced its rebranding to Meta, the company was ready. Right after Mark Zuckerberg delivered his speech praising the benefits of the metaverse, the company immediately repainted the "thumbs up" icon of a trade mark located at its Menlo Park headquarters, with the new Meta logo. Many of the company's social media accounts have also switched, for example from Facebook Inc to Meta Inc.

But for one main account, namely on Instagram, it has not changed. Note that Facebook or Meta Platform Inc, has no control over @Meta accounts on Instagram. The account is known to belong to a small Denver-based magazine called META. On the day of Facebook's announcement, the company that publishes lifestyle stories about motorcycles posted photos of various print issues with the caption "Since 2014."

That afternoon, the latest post from the @Meta account was filled with comments encouraging the owner to "hold" the account, or at least sell it at a high price if it wanted to be taken over by Meta Platform Inc, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

"Hold on and sell high," wrote one user. But the next day, the account mysteriously disappeared, as Quartz reports. It's not clear exactly what happened, but @Meta has now included all the content from the previous Instagram @Facebook page. Posts on the account before October 28, as if the social network has always controlled it. Posts from META, the magazine, now appear under the @readmeta account.

The magazine's publisher META did not respond to requests for comment. However, there are still signs of a former Instagram account on the site. The company's website is still linked to its old instagram.com/meta account. Oddly enough, clicking on that link from the publisher's website then an error pops up. Even though it links to the same URL as the Meta account which is now owned by Facebook.

On Tuesday, December 14, Ben Geise, co-founder and editor-in-chief of META, announced that the latest issue of the magazine would be the last under the name that has been in use for more than eight years.

“We value our individuality above all else, so when word got out that the Goliath company was changing its name to Meta, it was like a punch to the stomach,” he wrote in a blog post, quoted by Engadget.

"At the push of a button, our identities are suddenly diluted, and we see our names circle the sewers and drift away with something we have no control over," he added.

Geise did not respond to Engadget's request for comment. It's hard to know for sure what happened. But Instagram's terms of service state that businesses cannot "order" accounts. The provision stipulates that the company cannot claim trademark infringement if the account owner uses it for unrelated purposes.

"Using someone else's trademark in a way that is unrelated to the product or service for which the trademark is assigned is not a violation of Instagram's trademark policy," the policy reads. “Instagram usernames are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Of course, accounts and their users often exchange hands. Businesses have been known to use escrow services to negotiate account transfers, while others have used the more shady marketplace to gain access to accounts with desired names.

But the practice is also officially prohibited by Instagram's terms of service. "You may not sell, license or buy any account or data obtained from us or our Services," according to Instagram's terms of service.

“This includes attempts to buy, sell or transfer any aspect of your account (including your username); request, collect, or otherwise use the login credentials or badges of other users; or request or collect inappropriate Instagram usernames, passwords, or access tokens.”

This rule raises questions about whether Facebook is breaking its own rules to gain access to coveted usernames. Even though this is the type of action that other users on Instagram are routinely prohibited from doing. Or does the company find another justification for taking over accounts that have been registered and used previously by other parties? An Instagram spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on these allegations.

For now, META publishers say they are focused on the future. “Our brand is more than just a name. We represent a way of life," wrote Geise. "We speak to inspire and encourage the rare kind of people out there who are brave enough to pursue their dreams and never look back."

A Meta spokesperson said that no trademark claims or legal threats were made against META's publishers, but declined to comment on whether the social network had been in touch with the magazine or whether they had compensated for their usernames. "We allow people to change their username on Instagram," Meta spokeswoman Stephanie Otway said in a statement.