Repro Uncensored × The Guardian: Our Investigation on Meta’s Global Censorship of Abortion Advice and Queer Content
This research documents a global escalation in the censorship of abortion access, sexual health, and queer content across Meta platforms. Conducted by Repro Uncensored, based on its original data collection on digital censorship, and shared with The Guardian as the basis for a joint investigation, the research is grounded in Repro Uncensored’s global case tracking and documentation. It records over 210 incidents of account removals, shadow bans, and severe restrictions affecting more than 50 organizations worldwide in 2025, and exposes opaque enforcement practices, ineffective appeals mechanisms, and the material harm caused when essential health information is suppressed online.
Read the original article published on the Guardian here.
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Published article (as published by The Guardian):
Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content
More than 50 organisations report sites being restricted or removed, with abortion hotlines blocked and posts showing non-explicit nudity triggering warnings
By Aisha Down, The Guardian
Published 11 December 2025
Meta has removed or restricted dozens of accounts belonging to abortion access providers, queer groups and reproductive health organisations in recent weeks in what campaigners describe as one of the biggest waves of censorship on its platforms in years.
The takedowns began in October and targeted Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts belonging to more than 50 organisations worldwide, some serving tens of thousands of people. While many affected groups are based in Europe and the UK, bans have also impacted organisations serving women in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Repro Uncensored, an organisation documenting digital censorship affecting movements focused on gender, health and justice, recorded 210 incidents of account removals and severe restrictions in 2025, compared with 81 the previous year.
Meta denied that there was an escalating trend. “Every organisation and individual on our platforms is subject to the same set of rules, and any claims of enforcement based on group affiliation or advocacy are baseless,” the company said, adding that its policies on abortion-related content had not changed.
Campaigners argue that Meta is globalising enforcement approaches that previously targeted abortion and LGBTQIA+ content in the United States. Earlier this year, organisations providing abortion pill information reported being shadow-banned or removed from Meta platforms. Shadow-banning refers to the practice of restricting visibility without notifying users.
“Within this last year, especially since the new US presidency, we have seen a definite increase in accounts being taken down, not only in the US but globally as a ripple effect,” said Martha Dimitratou, executive director of Repro Uncensored. “This has been one of the biggest waves of censorship we are seeing.”
Organisations affected described Meta’s enforcement as opaque and unresponsive, with little explanation provided for account removals or restrictions. In one email shared with The Guardian, a Meta consultant invited reproductive health organisations to a closed-door briefing on content moderation challenges, explicitly stating it would not be a space to critique Meta’s practices or recommend policy changes.
Dimitratou said such meetings reinforce power imbalances that allow platforms to decide whose voices are amplified and whose are silenced.
Meta’s actions form part of a broader pattern in which accounts are removed and, in some cases, reinstated following public pressure, according to Carolina Are, a fellow at Northumbria University’s Centre for Digital Citizens. “Appeals are the basis of any democratic justice system,” she said. “But on platforms, appeals often do not work.”
Among the affected organisations is Women Help Women, a Netherlands-registered nonprofit providing abortion information globally. Its Facebook page was banned in November before later being reinstated. Executive director Kinga Jelinska described the ban as potentially life-threatening, pushing people toward unreliable or unsafe information sources.
In Colombia, feminist organisation Jacarandas reported its WhatsApp abortion helpline being blocked and reinstated multiple times since October. “You are not sure if a ban will happen tomorrow or the next day, because they don’t answer anything,” said executive director Viviana Monsalve.
Other groups reported increased shadow-banning rather than outright removal. Fatma Ibrahim, director of Sex Talk Arabic, said her organisation receives frequent warnings that its content will not be promoted, including the removal of artistic posts depicting non-explicit nudity. She described Meta’s moderation as US-centric and lacking regional context.
Note added 15 December 2025: Meta contacted The Guardian after publication to confirm that Jacarandas’ WhatsApp account is now active.
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End of published article.
REPORT AN INCIDENT: If you or your organisation suspect your account is being censored, report it here.