An Aussie mum who turned her dog into a social media star and built a business generating up to $10,000 a month says her livelihood was 'burned to the ground' after Meta repeatedly restricted her Instagram account.
Aley Hammer, who appeared on The Bachelor in 2014, said she had stepped back from social media when she became a mother.
Instead, she created an Instagram account for her dog Luna, who became an online sensation, attracting 55,000 followers and racking up 29 million views.
The owner and her beloved pet jetted off to Byron Bay on a private plane, starred in a Ferrari campaign and landed a national advertising deal with Pet Circle.
Ms Hammer turned the account into a business, helping other pet owners create content and secure lucrative brand partnerships.
But she claims her thriving business was impacted by a series of Instagram restrictions.
She said Meta had accused her account of posting content that degrades others, spamming, deceiving people to obtain money, property or information, and engaging in bullying and harassment.
'They're all rubbish. I haven't done any of these things … I'm just shocked,' Ms Hammer told news.com.au.
Aley Hammer built a business generating up to $10,000 a month around her dog Luna's social media success but says she has been left devastated after Meta repeatedly restricted her account
Luna landed a campaign with Ferrari and jetted off to Byron Bay on a private plane
'This has torn down my business. I have not made one cent … It's been burned to the ground for no reason.'
Ms Hammer had spent months building the business, filming and editing content, coaching clients and answering direct messages.
She also sold hundreds of educational guides teaching other pet owners how to grow an online following and make money through their animals.
But restrictions imposed on her Instagram account limited her access to direct messages, removed links from her bio and reduced the reach of her posts, she said, meaning her videos were no longer appearing in users' feeds.
'They have cut off a crucial way I communicate with customers and respond to business enquiries. My account is fully locked down,' she said.
'The most distressing part is… Meta staff helped get the restriction lifted, only for it to return shortly afterwards.
'From my side, it feels like being trapped in a loop where a human can help, but the resolution doesn't last and a bot instantly locks it down again and restricts the account.'
Ms Hammer, who spent 15 years working in the tech industry for companies including Google and Amazon, said she was stunned that Meta had failed to provide a clear explanation for the repeated restrictions.
As Luna's following grew, Ms Hammer turned the account into a business, helping other pet owners create content and secure lucrative brand partnerships
Ms Hammer said she tried several times to get the company to investigate, even paying $29 a month for Meta Verified in the hope of accessing better customer support, but said she had been met with generic responses from artificial intelligence.
'From my side, it feels like being trapped in a loop where a human can help, but the resolution doesn't last and [an AI] bot instantly locks it down again and restricts the account,' she said.
She said she also sent Meta more than 105 emails, paid $60 to have a legal complaint couriered to its US headquarters and spent hours speaking with support staff.
Meanwhile, her inbox has been flooded with thousands of messages from followers asking why she has disappeared from social media and stopped responding.
'It feels as though the business I poured everything into is being dismantled while I am powerless to stop it,' she said.
'I am not asking for an exemption from the rules. I am asking for a clear explanation, a proper review and a resolution that lasts. If something needs to change on my account, I want someone to tell me what it is so I can address it.'
The ongoing uncertainty has left her questioning whether she can still confidently advise others to use social media to grow their businesses.
'I feel so out of control. I have got customers who have quit their full time jobs to do this full time and I'm coaching them and I'm almost really paranoid to continue to tell them to do this.'
Her account was reinstated after her interview with news.com.au was published.
'Our internal teams are aware of the account raised and are already investigating this instance,' a Meta spokesperson said at the time.
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