Medium You Have To Answer This!

I am writing this for everyone on Medium, and maybe Medium will ban my account after this. Please open your eyes before it is too late (Screenshots Included)

On March 5, 2024, Medium suspended Nour Boustani’s account, claiming that Nour’s account is under investigation due to Medium’s rules violation. (For those who have no idea what I am talking about, Medium has suspended many genuine writers’ accounts on March 5) Nour appealed to reinstate his account within half an hour after suspension.

Nour’s appeal:

Hello Medium Team,

I’m facing an unexpected issue with my profile; there’s a notice at the top of the page stating: “Your account was found in violation of the Medium Rules.” To my knowledge, I have not breached any guidelines. I’m confused about the reason behind this issue. As a dedicated writer who reads and writes daily and has contributed to the platform for over two years, this situation is particularly concerning to me. Could you please clarify why my account is flagged and guide me through resolving this issue? Your prompt and considerate assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Best Regards, Nour Boustani

Medium’s response:

Hello, It looks like your account and several other accounts associated with it were flagged for coordinating to falsely increase earnings on Medium. We do not allow inauthentic or fraudulent gamification of the earnings system. This includes mass registration and automation of accounts to fraudulently inflate earnings, requests for engagement for the purpose of inflating earnings, or participating in reciprocal rings of mutual engagement for the purpose of “earnings hacking.” Do you have an explanation for what’s happening? Thanks, Trust & Safety

(It looks like an automated message that was sent out to many people after they appealed)

Check the screenshots below:

After receiving this email from Medium, Nour sent a quick reply to Medium within half an hour again.

Here’s what he wrote:

Dear Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I received a message from your team indicating that my account and several others were flagged for activities aimed at artificially inflating earnings on Medium. I wish to express both my concern and surprise regarding these allegations.

I have been writing on Medium for over two years now and have built a decent and loyal readership. My commitment to creating genuine content has allowed me to connect with readers meaningfully. In the past 24 hours, many of my readers have reached out to me via email and also posted on Medium to inquire about my unexpected absence. We are eager to understand the reasons behind these developments.

I assure you that I have always prioritized integrity and transparency in using the platform. I have never engaged in any form of inauthentic or fraudulent activities to manipulate earnings. This includes, but is not limited to, mass registration, automation of accounts, solicitation of engagement for the purpose of inflating earnings, or participation in reciprocal engagement rings. I have always been loyal and transparent, and my readers can assure you that; you can also find comments from my readers on this post by my friend on Medium here: https://thehubpublication.com/why-is-medium-flagging-so-many-profiles-for-rules-violation-51fc9059bf12

Given the serious nature of these allegations, I kindly request you provide a piece of detailed information on the specific activities that led to my account being flagged. If possible, please provide evidence or examples of the actions identified as violations of Medium’s policies. This information is important for me to understand the situation better and address misunderstandings or incorrect assumptions.

Moreover, if there has been any mistake or if additional information about my account activities can help clarify this situation, I am more than willing to cooperate and provide whatever is required. The allegations have surprised me, as I have always endeavoured to abide by Medium’s guidelines and policies. I look forward to your kind and cooperative response and hope we can resolve this issue quickly and amicably. I am not asking you this just for my sake but for my readers who miss the engagement and content I provide.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards,

Nour Boustani

After this email, Nour didn’t receive any response for 7 days and thought of writing a follow-up again in the morning.

Here’s the follow-up email Nour sent Medium this morning:

Dear Trust & Safety Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to follow up on my previous communication dated 06/March/2024 regarding flagging my Medium account under suspicions of inauthentic activities aimed at inflating earnings. As of today, I have not received any feedback or further communication from your side.

Understanding the sensitivity of the issue and the impact it has on my reputation and relationship with my readers, I am naturally anxious to resolve this matter. My readers continue to express their concern and confusion over my absence, underscoring the immediate and real effects of this suspension.

Transparency, integrity, and respect for the community guidelines have always been at the core of my contributions to Medium. Thus, I am eager to clear any misunderstandings and to have my account reinstated.

Given the time-sensitive nature of this issue, I kindly request any updates or findings from your ongoing review.

Thank you once again for your attention to this important matter. I appreciate the efforts of the Trust & Safety team in maintaining the integrity of the Medium platform, and I look forward to your quick and kind response.

Warm regards,

Nour Boustani

Medium’s team didn’t respond to Nour’s first response to their email and didn’t respond to the follow-up email as well; instead, they sent a response to the first appeal he made through Medium Help Support and without shedding light on any issue they made a final decision to not to reinstate Nour’s account and responded:

Hello, After further review, we have determined that your account will not be reinstated because it’s not in compliance with Medium’s Rules. This decision is final. Your work will remain accessible to you while signed in. Your content may be exported at any time by going to your Settings (https://medium.com/me/settings). From there, go to “Security and apps” and click Download your information > Export to export your data, which includes your published stories. Your Medium Membership will end at the end of the current payment period and will not auto-renew. Per the Medium Membership Terms of Service, there are no refunds. If you no longer need your Medium account, you can delete it by following the instructions on our Help Center. Medium Trust and Safety

Check the screenshot below, and judge for yourself if this was a fair decision:

They didn’t mention which “rules” exactly! And said they’ll not reinstate and it is their final decision. How can any company do that to their members? Nour has been writing on this platform for two years and has made some real friendships here. He had met Denis Gorbunov in person when Denis visited Istanbul. Also, David W Litwin had chatted with Nour over WhatsApp several times.

Nour Boustani is an entrepreneur; he is not just any random person on the Internet; he is a Brand. He has a long history on the Internet, and thousands of people follow him, benefit from his online courses, and make appointments for business ideas and meetings.

Check the link below to find out more about Nour Boustani:

I have known Nour for the last two years, and we are partners; hurting him is akin to hurting me. Any harm to his reputation is hurting my reputation. Medium has blocked him, but I can provide all the information and show people the real faces of Medium’s staff and how lazy and fussy they are. Being his editor and partner, I have access to Nour’s accounts. We trust each other blindly. I know he didn’t violate any rules.

I had a conversation with Buster Benson on Nancy’s post’s comment:

When Buster informed everyone:

We’ve been ramping up some new anti-spam and anti-fraud measures and want to assure you that we have no intention of permanently suspending legit accounts. We are repairing accounts that appeal and help us understand how their accounts were incorrectly flagged.

If anyone feels they have been unfairly suspended please write in to https://yourfriends.medium.com with details about your account. We will be reviewing and restoring appeals over the coming week.

This has been necessary as fraudulent actors have been on the rise recently, as I’m sure some of you may have even noticed. But we are going to make sure that accounts improperly picked up in this will be rectified.

That said, some of the actions of fraudulent actors may not always be readily apparent on the surface, and it may sometimes appear that we are suspending accounts without reason. I hope you will understand that is not actually the case, and in general for reasons of privacy etc we can’t always get into all of the reasons for suspension of specific accounts.

My response to Buster Benson received almost 1k claps and 4 comments; here is what I responded:

Nour Boustani has already appealed, and several of us, including myself, are in constant contact with him. Buster, many of us, myself included, are feeling extremely frustrated. Look at this comment on my post, as well as many other writers and friends who have commented, and judge for yourself whether Nour’s ID is fraudulent.

https://nevenapascaleva.medium.com/misbah-i-couldnt-sleep-tonight-5f55b3251ee2

It’s bewildering that while you ask us to write human stories, the platform seems to depend heavily on automation for moderation. You claim that human curation is at play, yet it seems to falter in distinguishing genuine writers from those engaging in fraudulent activities. Is the system really incapable of differentiating between fraud and authenticity? What does it say about a platform that causes fear and anger among its members?

Additionally, I’m curious about whether there will be any compensation for these accounts once they’re restored. They have been penalized without just cause. Eagerly waiting for your response; I hope you read this.

Buster Benson responded to me:

We are all humans here and will be reviewing all appeals thoroughly. I’ll make sure we review Nour’s account personally.

After that, Buster just clapped my response, and I heard nothing from him for 5 days, not even after a follow-up response today:

Many of you asked me about Nour’s case via emails, notes, and Twitter messages; we waited for a positive response from Medium but didn’t receive anything positive, instead insulting and one that has put a question mark on my partner’s image and writing career.

No one can stop me from revealing the truth. What is that Medium can do to stop me from expressing my real and genuine opinion of their attitude. They should be happy that no one has sued them until now for their ridiculous behavior.

Many friends, including Carolina Smith, Benighted, Nevena Pascaleva, even gave a guarantee for Nour’s account in response to Buster’s comment.

Check here:

I need a quick and positive answer from Medium, Medium Staff, Tony Stubblebine, Ariel Meadow Stallings, Buster Benson on the issue. Which rules did Nour violated? Why did the Trust and Safety team not cooperate with Nour Bousatni via email and leave him in the dark without any sensible answer?

Why are you putting a question mark on innocent people’s social image and making them feel guilty for things they haven’t done? What is the purpose of these “BULK” insults? Why destroy writers’ portfolios without giving them a chance to defend themselves? Why can’t you specify the rules violated? You demand they prove their innocence while accusing them without specifying the charges. What is this manipulative game? WHAT IS THE INTENT BEHIND THESE ACTIONS? I need answers and trust me, many of us need answers.

MY REQUEST TO FRIENDS AND READERS: ANYONE WHO NEED ANSWERS, PLEASE HIGHLIGHT THIS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT.

Medium, the purpose of my post is simple and clear: review your decision. This cannot be your final decision because you did not listen and cooperate with Nour Boustani via email, even when he reached out more than once.

And as Buster Benson said, “We want to assure you that we have no intention of permanently suspending legit accounts. We are repairing accounts that appeal and help us understand how their accounts were incorrectly flagged.”

I want to ask how to make your staff understand that their accounts are legit when your so-called “trust and safety” team doesn’t listen, respond, and make allegations and decisions without proof.

Additionally, I want to inform you all that Medium will not pay Nour’s earnings for February.

If this can happen to Nour Boustani, it can happen to you, too!

I hate to mass tag, and I am sorry my dear friends, but I am tagging you all again. I find it necessary to share what’s truly happening behind the scenes. As long-standing friends and readers of Nour, many of you have been asking me in comments and notes about Nour’s case. I believe I owe you all an explanation. We greatly appreciate your support. Nour is reading this, and he deeply values your love and support.

B.R. Shenoy| Natalie| Carolina Smith|| Yana Bostongirl| Ted Czukor| John Hansen | John O’Neill | Henya Drescher | Okwywrites | Kyle Wells | Nevena Pascaleva | Deb Palmer | Sam David Parker🌸| Mark Tulin| TzeLin Sam | Kallol Mazumdar | Dr. Preeti Singh | A.H. Mehr | Nancy Santos| J.C. Anne Brown | Denis Gorbunov | Carlo Zeno | Douglas Lim | 🌬️Mitch | William Michael Williamson | LC Lynch | Monoreena Acharjee Majumdar | Jenny Lane | Claire Kelly | Benighted | Jenny Blue | Anna V| Andrea Lawrence| Leonard Tillerman| Prasanna Srinath Subhasinghe | Wesley van Peer | Ryan Canady |

— © Misbah Sheikhh 2024

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