💀 The Algorithm Is the Censorship
Meta Fixed the Hack—But Left a Reels Landmine Behind
Sixteen days ago, I published a story about the long nightmare of getting my hacked Facebook page back from foreign attackers. If you missed it, you can read that full story here:
➡️ https://substack.com/home/post/p-167272567
That article worked. It forced Meta to finally take action. On July 1, Meta stepped in and removed a bogus Business account the hackers had created under my name. That fake account had been tied to my verified Facebook page—JimHeathTV—for months. Until Meta took it down, I couldn’t fully control or use my own platform.
But now I’ve discovered something worse: Meta only fixed half the problem. And the part they left behind is still destroying my ability to recover.
Here’s what’s happening: during the hack, the attackers created and ran a Reels monetization account using my identity. They uploaded Reels, paid to promote them, and—unbeknownst to me—pumped tens of thousands of dollars into political ads and casino promotions under my name. I had no access to this. I had no idea it was happening.
In October 2024, my hijacked Facebook page was featured in a joint investigation by the Tech Transparency Project, Columbia University’s Tow Center, and ProPublica. The story, written by Katie Paul, exposed how hackers used verified pages like mine to run massive ad campaigns—completely unauthorized and often politically dangerous. The report confirmed that Meta profited from those campaigns while doing nothing to protect the journalists and creators whose names and platforms were being exploited.
Now, nearly a year later, the most damaging piece of that fraud—the hacked Reels backend—is still attached to my page. I can see it. I can’t remove it. I can’t appeal it. But it’s likely still flagged in Meta’s system, and it’s dragging everything down.
Since July 1, when Meta removed the fake Business account, my visibility has collapsed. Posts that reached 20,000+ people in April now reach under 300.
Video monetization is disabled.
Reels monetization has been frozen since April, with no option to appeal and no way to remove the hacker-created Reels account still tied to my page.
It’s like Meta cut the visible chain—but left a live grenade duct-taped to the back of the platform.
So to recap:
My page was hacked in September 2024
Hackers created a fraudulent Business and Reels monetization structure
Meta removed the fake Business account on July 1, 2025—after I went public
But they left behind the corrupted Reels backend
I still can’t remove it, can’t appeal, and can’t recover
And all of this is happening to a verified journalist with no policy violations—while pro-Trump MAGA pages thrive, misinformation spreads, and Meta continues to profit off the very ads I never authorized.
I want Meta to finish what it started.
✅ Remove the bogus Reels account
✅ Restore Reels and video monetization
✅ Lift whatever internal flags are suppressing my page
Because the longer this broken Reels structure remains attached to JimHeathTV, the deeper the page sinks.
And now, it’s getting worse. My Facebook page is once again missing from internal Facebook search. Even Google no longer surfaces it—as if it’s been algorithmically de-indexed. I haven’t deleted it. I haven’t violated policy. I’ve done everything right. And yet, the platform is treating my journalism like it doesn’t exist.
If Meta won’t help independent journalists recover from being hacked, and if they bury verified pages in search just for reporting the truth, then what kind of platform are we even dealing with?
This isn’t just a platform failure. It’s systemic negligence. It’s erasure. And when you look at the right-wing propaganda pages flourishing while my fact-based journalism is being suppressed, it’s hard not to wonder if it’s deliberate.
If you’d like the full details of this journey, feel free to follow up.
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📩 contact@jimheath2010@gmail.com
📌 facebook.com/JimHeathTV