How to Get an Instagram Account Banned: Ultimate Guide

Has an Instagram account been stealing your content or even impersonating your account entirely?

You need to get that shut down ASAP.

Here’s how you can get an Instagram account banned for good.

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Our content was stolen!  So, we found an anti-piracy expert to reclaim our lost rankings and stop unauthorized copies. Now you can work with him too. 

• Avoid lost revenue when others monetize YOUR content
• Stop brand damage when your name is used on shady websites
• Prevent pirated copies from appearing above you in search results

Understanding Instagram's Reporting System

First, you’ll need to understand Instagram’s reporting system and how it works.

We recommend taking a look at Instagram's community guidelines to understand what content is in violation of those guidelines and why.

A few current reasons for reporting include:

• I just don't like it
• It's spam
• Nudity or sexual activity
• Hate speech or symbols
• Violence or dangerous organizations
• False information
• Bullying or harassment
• Scam or fraud
• Intellectual property violations
• Suicide or self-injury
• Sale of illegal or regulated goods
• Eating disorders
• Drugs
• Something else

You can also report a profile for posting content it shouldn't be (like stolen content, for instance), pretending to be someone else (aka impersonation), or being a child under the age of 13.

If you determine the content you’ve found is guilty of any of these things, you can easily report it using Instagram’s own built-in reporting system. We’ll break down that process a bit later!

Types of Violations

While you’re already familiar with what content could be considered in violation of Instagram’s community guidelines, there are different types of violations that Instagram handles.

They include:

1. Account Behaviors– Following and unfollowing more than 60 people per hour, liking more than 300 posts per hour, posting more than 60 comments per hour, posting the same comment on multiple posts, or repeatedly tagging people who shouldn't be tagged
2. Content– Nudity or pornography, violence or drug abuse, self-harm or suicide, hate speech, bullying, abuse, glorification or encouragement of self-injury, and illegal products or services
3. Other– Using images that violate copyright infringement rules, sending unsolicited sales messages to non-fans, and uploading poor-quality images or videos

So, yes, you can get an entire account banned and not just content. Good news!

Step-by-Step: How to Report & Ban an Account

Let’s break it down now.

1. Report Each Violation

Use Instagram’s easy reporting form to report the offending account for violations like spam, impersonation, harassment, or posting inappropriate content.

Here are some screenshots detailing what that form/process covers >>

2. Provide Evidence

Next, you’ll need to provide evidence that the Instagram user is violating the community guidelines. This includes screenshots and usernames of any and all Instagram accounts that you feel are violating the guidelines.

According to Instagram's site, you'll also need to provide the following information as evidence of the community guidelines violation:

• Your complete contact information (full name, postal address, and phone number)
• A description of the content on our site that you claim infringes your copyright
• Information that is reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material on our site. The easiest way to do this is by providing web addresses (URLs) that lead directly to the allegedly infringing content.
• A declaration that:
  • you have a belief, based on good faith, that use of the copyrighted content described above, in the manner you have complained of, is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;
  • the information in your notice is accurate;
  • under penalty of perjury, you are the owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive copyright that has been allegedly infringed.
• Your electronic signature or physical signature.

3. File Multiple Reports

It’s also a good idea to get some more accounts involved in the situation to lend legitimacy to your own report. Luckily, just about anyone can file an Instagram copyright report.

We recommend that you encourage others who have experienced similar issues or have witnessed the infringement or abuse to report the account as well. Multiple reports can increase the likelihood of action being taken in a shorter timeframe.

4. Use the Instagram Help Center

Once you file the report, you can easily follow up through Instagram’s Help Center for additional support and to track the progress of your report.

They will also notify you of any progress in your case.

5. Follow Up and Continue Monitoring

If you’re unhappy with the outcome, you can file another report or reach out to Instagram support for more assistance.

You’ll also need ongoing monitoring, either done by yourself or another party, to watch out for other accounts that may pop up or resurface to make sure your content is safe.

Tips for Protecting Your Own Account

It’s always best to protect your account and content from being stolen in the first place.

From monitoring Instagram accounts to using watermarks on your content, here are some of the best ways to keep your account safe.

Use a Service to Actively Monitor Instagram Accounts

Don’t want this to happen again? Try using a service that actively monitors your presence on Instagram and looks for any evidence of another user stealing your content.

There are some automated services that will do this and teams you can hire to monitor your content on your behalf.

Use Watermarks

Using watermarks is a great way to embed evidence of your ownership right into the content you post.

Try putting it somewhere that doesn’t distract from the content, but is also hard to edit out if someone chooses to steal your content anyway.

Make Your Account Private

They can’t steal what they can’t see!

Keeping your account private keeps your content safe from prying eyes. If content does get leaked, you’ll know a small pool of people who could have done it.

File a DMCA Takedown for Stolen Content

If none of the other avenues you’ve tried have worked, you may need to send a DMCA takedown.

For more information or templates to get started, check out our guide here >>

To make this whole process easier, sign up for our DMCA takedown service for unlimited takedowns and ongoing monitoring!

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Learn More

Our content was stolen!  So, we found an anti-piracy expert to reclaim our lost rankings and stop unauthorized copies. Now you can work with him too. 

• Avoid lost revenue when others monetize YOUR content
• Stop brand damage when your name is used on shady websites
• Prevent pirated copies from appearing above you in search results

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get an Instagram account banned?

To get an Instagram account banned, file reports using Instagram’s reporting form, encourage others to do the same, and follow up with Instagram. You can escalate things by filing a DMCA takedown request.

How many reports does it take to ban an Instagram account?

There is no magic number of reports that it takes to ban an Instagram account, and an Instagram account could be banned after just one report.

How do I report an Instagram account to get it deleted?

To report an Instagram account to get it deleted, file reports using Instagram’s reporting form, encourage others to do the same, and follow up with Instagram.

How to ban a fake Instagram account?

To ban an Instagram account, file reports using Instagram’s reporting form, making sure to include plenty of evidence of how the account violated Instagram’s community guidelines. You can also encourage others to do the same and follow up with Instagram. You can escalate things by filing a DMCA takedown request.