‘Hundreds’ of Instagram users mysteriously lose their accounts because they have the same name as huge popstar

‘HUNDREDS’ of Instagram users have mysteriously lost access to their accounts over seemingly having the same name as a huge popstar.

Even fan accounts formed part of the cull.

Meta, the company that owns Instagram, has since said it was an errorGetty

The wave of account bans swept the platform last Tuesday, when more than a dozen on Instagram accounts named Taylor, or using account names that displayed support for Taylor Swift, were blocked suddenly, Bloomberg first reported.

Some Taylors, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain, thought that Instagram’s aim was to limit impersonators on the app while Swift waged through her massive Eras Tour.

“This afternoon, hundreds of people named Taylor (myself included) had their Instagram accounts disabled for a violation of community guidelines- simply because our profiles had our names listed,” one affected Taylor, Taylor Camp, told Bloomberg via email.

Others thought that the having the phrase “Taylor’s version” in their Instagram handle — a reference to Swift’s re-recorded songs — also meant their accounts could be restricted.

“If you’re a swiftie with your Instagram display name set as “[name] (taylor’s version)” CHANGE IT,” one Taylor warned on X.

“The IG account that I’ve had for over 10yrs was disabled today without warning for seemingly no reason, and I believe this is why.”

Another wrote: “Apparently now if you have ‘Taylor’s version’ or if your name is Taylor, your account could get disabled.

“My Instagram has ‘(taylor’s version)’ on it and it got disabled.”

It wasn’t just the so-called ‘swifties’ – self-named fans of Swift – or accounts named Taylor which got banned, but also those named Tay, Taylor Land, Taylor Bailey and Taylor-Nicole Limas.

“@instagram Hello, my name is Taylor Bailey. My Instagram account was permanently disabled for no reason because AI is the one who checked it not an actual person,” another affected Instagram user claimed in a tweet.

“I would like to talk to a representative on the phone and get this resolved and am willing to do anything I can.”

Meta, the company that owns Instagram, has since said it was an error, and they were wrongly blocked for violating the company’s policy on authentic accounts.

The accounts have since been restored.

But the company did not say how many accounts were impacted or whether it was in relation to the pop star.

Whatever the reason, many Taylors grew impatient with Instagram’s customer service, which it recently put its most effective help behind a paywall.

Instagram users have long complained about the lack of transparency on what’s happening to their accounts and why.

Meta launched Meta Verified in May for £11.99 ($14.99) which promises protection from impersonation and the ability for average users to get on the phone with a “real person” if they have an issue with their account.

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