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Your Guide to Design and Pop Culture in Tokyo

Facebook Ejection

Well, this is certainly annoying. I just tried logging into my Facebook account, and I’m getting a message that my account has been disabled. Can’t for the life of me understand why. I hope it’s just a mistake on their part, because I don’t really want to have to go through the process of rebuilding my contact list.

Update: Looks like I’m not alone in my Facebook problems, with at least two other people I know who have encountered the same thing this morning. Anyone else?

Update 2: I still have access to my account through the Facebook iPhone app, so doesn’t look like the account has been deleted. Must be a glitch in their system, as it seems to be affecting a lot of people.

Update 3: Two days later, and still no change. It does appear that all people affected are on the Japan network. I still haven’t heard anything elsewhere about this, and haven’t heard anything from Facebook — I emailed them as soon as I noticed the problem.

Update 4: My account is back, and I think the same goes for most people who had it disabled.

Category: Meta

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38 Responses

  1. Matt says:

    Perhaps it’s because they’re worried God will sue them for copyright infringement. You know, “Snow” and all that. Or perhaps Levi-Strauss, since they have a lock on that “Jean” thing.

  2. Jean Snow says:

    I know, I’m doubly cursed.

  3. Andrew Lee says:

    Hey me too! They locked me out this morning. What gives? Lee jeans perhaps?

  4. Jean Snow says:

    Hahaha… Yeah, seems to be happening to a lot of people, so must be a glitch in the system.

  5. verena says:

    yep, mine is disabled too… v_v

  6. Jean Snow says:

    Actually, I’m noticing that everyone I know who has the problem is based in Japan. I wonder if it’s a regional thing.

  7. Joseph K says:

    My account works perfectly!
    I thought about syncing twitter and facebook after you commented on my status, but realised both you and craig had the twitter application, and wondered if that could be the reason… but hmmm… if so, it’s a combination of twitter+Japan, since I have a few friends with the two synced in Australia whose accounts are still there….

  8. Herzog says:

    I commited “facebook suicide” weeks ago due to the white, middle class homogenity of it.

    Where are all the brothers? It makes mixi look like the
    proverbial cultural melting pot…

  9. max says:

    jean, me, martin holtkamp, verena at Pingmag, paul baron and craig mod, andrew lee all seem to have been disabled today.

  10. Joseph K says:

    Very surreal situation. Doesn’t seem to be much buzz around the net besides Jean’s post here, but definitely something odd is going down.

  11. Craig says:

    All I want to know — and this is the sort of metaphysical ‘big question’ we should all be asking — is with my birthday on Sunday, if I don’t have a Facebook account, how will I know how many people are wishing me Happy Birthday? I will be without a ‘love barometer’ so to speak. Oh, God, I’m feeling faint.

  12. Jean Snow says:

    Hahahaha… Nice job on managing to get the word out on your birthday, despite the Facebook problems!

  13. fleep... says:

    I was kicked out but managed to get logged back in again fine, and is fine this morning. I think their system is a bit overwhelmed as this has happened before a few months ago.

  14. James says:

    Me too Jean.

    And there I was last night being entertained by your predicament. That’ll teach me!

  15. Carsten says:

    Pah! Me too! And I know 5 others. All from the “Japan” network.

  16. Joseph K says:

    Still rockin’ solid over here! Maybe Australians in the Japan network get an exemption? I have one other Australian friend here on facebook, and her account is still live…

  17. Yongfook says:

    Jean you should update this post with names in case it gets picked up by facebook staff.

    Last time I checked, these people were all kicked off for no reason:

    Me (Jon Cockle)
    http://www.yongfook.com

    Matt Romaine
    http://www.mattromaine.com/

    Mike Sheetal
    http://mikesheetal.com/

    Hawken King
    http://www.dadako.com/

    Paul Baron
    http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en//author/paul

    Craig Mod
    http://craigmod.com/

    Bizarre, because everyone who has been disabled by facebook is connected to each other…

  18. MrKirkland says:

    So (as baron points out) is Twitter/Japan the killer combination?

  19. francois says:

    I live in Japan, in the Japan network, I blog, I use twitter to update my status
    and I’m still there on Facebook, no problem
    don’t spread FUD

  20. Facebonk says:

    I’m locked out, as are a bunch of my friends… I’m in both Japan and the “Japan” network but don’t use Twitter. I emailed them but haven’t received a reply. I’m going to stop payi… oh wait.

  21. Martin Webb says:

    My account has also been disabled.

    I have never been a Twitterer.

    It’s encouraging to see that some people have regained access to their accounts …

    Still, this could be a PR disaster for Facebook unless they sort it out prettty sharpish!

  22. Martin Webb says:

    My account has also been disabled.

    I have never been a Twitterer.

    It’s encouraging to see that some people have regained access to their accounts …

    Still, this could be a PR disaster for Facebook unless they sort it out pretty sharpish!

  23. Jean Snow says:

    As far as I can tell, it really seems to be affecting the Japan network exclusively. I emailed Facebook first thing when I noticed the problem, and still have not heard anything back.

  24. Martin Webb says:

    I sent several emails yesterday and haven’t received a response yet.

  25. Jean Snow says:

    I think it’s a Tokyo Design Week conspiracy!

  26. max says:

    hey guys, you all get those shots I took of that junior high school girl Sunday night? pretty steamy huh?

  27. MrKirkland says:

    I just received an email from facebook asking me to send them a “scanned image of a government issued ID”.

    I put it up on my site, so maybe if you send your ID in too the almighty Book of the Face may grant you forgiveness: http://www.mrkirkland.com/facebook-account-disabled/

  28. Martin Webb says:

    My account has been reactivated!

    I received the following message:

    ************************************

    Hi Martin,

    Your account has been reactivated and you should be able to access it now. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

    Thanks for contacting Facebook,

    Will
    User Operations
    Facebook
    *************************************

    All is forgiven and I remain a loyal Facebook user.

    Phew!

  29. Jean Snow says:

    Yeah, I’m back on too.

  30. max says:

    >hey guys, you all get those shots I took of that junior high school girl Sunday night? pretty steamy huh?

    was implying that I sent kiddie porn out to everyone (which would explain the mass account disabling), but I guess no one got the joke…

  31. max says:

    ::to die another day::

    my account is back up too

  32. web design says:

    I live in Japan, in the Japan network, I blog, I use twitter to update my status
    and I’m still there on Facebook, no problem
    don’t spread FUD

  33. Jean Snow says:

    Just because you weren’t affected doesn’t mean there was not a problem. Come on, I know of at least 20 people, all in the Japan network, who had their accounts disabled for two days.

  34. Monty DiPietro says:

    Hello friends!

    Don’t like that I’m months behind the times, and don’t like that my Facebook account has been disabled, sometime in the last day or so. Can’t log on and my fb friends say my profile etc. are gone for them.

    Who got this fixed last time, and how?

  35. Jean Snow says:

    The issue was settled within a few days, and as far as I know everyone got their account back.

  36. Monty DiPietro says:

    Thanks Jean, I e-mailed them and will cross my fingers, Facebook helps me keep in touch with my pétanque club!

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Jean Snow is a contributor to Arcade Mania, your guide to the arcade gaming scene in Japan (Amazon US/Amazon Japan). He also provided assistance on Tokyolife: Art and Design, a guide to Tokyo's cultural output of the past few years, covering the works of over 80 influential creatives.
He will be contributing to the upcoming fifth editions of The Rough Guide to Tokyo and The Rough Guide to Japan, due for release in 2011.
Jean Snow lives and breathes design, pop culture, and gaming in Tokyo -- sustained by an unhealthy addiction to magazines and frequent visits to his favorites cafes. He has reported on these obsessions for the following online/offline publications: Time, Inside (Australian Design Review), Gizmodo, Gridskipper, Kotaku, Tokyo Q, Superfuture, OK Fred, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, I.D. (International Design), Metropolis, Azure, MoCo Loco, Kateigaho International Edition, Wired's Game|Life, PingMag, CNNGo, and The Japan Times. He also manages the gallery space at Cafe Pause.

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