Suspended from Social: Coloradans say Meta wrongfully shut down their accounts

DENVER — A Denver small business owner says he was locked out of his Facebook and Instagram accounts with no warning and accused of one of the platform’s most serious violations: child sexual exploitation.

David Martinelli said the accusations are false — and he’s not alone. He said he has since heard from people across the United States, including in Colorado, who claim Meta disabled their accounts for similar reasons, with no clear way to reverse the decision.

Martinelli runs a doggie daycare in Denver, but his business took a big hit a few weeks ago when Facebook and Instagram shut down his main communication platforms.

“I got an email from Instagram saying that my account had been disabled for a pretty egregious reason,” he said. David Martinelli says Meta shut down his Facebook an