OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. \u2013 A small business owner in Oakland County who spent over 17 years building her company had her social media accounts restored after one AI mistake devastated her business.<\/p>\n
The West Bloomfield small business owner fought to regain access to her social media accounts after Meta wrongfully accused her of \u201cchild sexual exploitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Previous coverage –> Wedding florist stunned after Meta wrongfully flags flower content as \u2018child exploitation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs a mom of two, this is disturbing,\u201d Tan said when her accounts were taken down. \u201cI don\u2019t post anything other than fresh flowers, weddings, and behind-the-scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n Ching Tan, owner of Design Quintessentials, lost access to both her Instagram and Facebook accounts in June when Meta, the parent company of both platforms, disabled them without warning.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was in the middle of the night. I was scrolling and all of a sudden, I get this message saying your account is disabled, and I thought it was a prank,\u201d Tan said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The wedding floral and stationery designer, who has operated her business since 2007, estimates she has lost approximately $10,000 in potential new business this summer due to the account suspension.<\/p>\n Her Instagram presence, which showcased behind-the-scenes videos of wedding preparations and floral arrangements, was crucial for attracting new clients.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really visual thing. People like to see what I do,\u201d Tan said on Wednesday. \u201cIt\u2019s devastating. They don\u2019t even have a human I can talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Local 4 made her story known<\/a>, her business\u2019 social media accounts were restored.<\/p>\n \u201cI got an email around Noon [Thursday], I believe, that my Instagram\u2019s back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Tan said she was surprised and glad to see her account was restored just less than 24 hours after Local 4 shared her story.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it would take a couple of days, at least, but no, it was less than 24 hours,\u201d Tan said. \u201cI was sleeping with a smile last night, I was like, \u2018yes, I don\u2019t have to worry about it, it\u2019s back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Tan said she still doesn\u2019t know which photo or video on her accounts caused her account to be mistakenly flagged.<\/p>\n You can watch our full interview at the beginning of this article.<\/p>\n Growing pattern of false accusations<\/p>\n Tan\u2019s situation isn\u2019t unique.<\/p>\n