Anika Fiłon lives in Bolesławiec, a city known in Poland and around the world for its ceramics. She was an Oriflame representative for the region and ran her business page on Facebook. In October 2023, someone took over her profile. She reported it immediately to Facebook support.

Although the taken-over business page still featured photos of Anika Fiłon’s face from her private profile and photographs of her Bolesławiec office, Facebook demanded scans of various documents. During lengthy correspondence with Facebook, Anika Fiłon sent copies of her entry in the Central Register and Information on Business, her contract with Oriflame, scans of her identity card and so on.

However, this achieved nothing, and the people at Facebook support kept replying with the same message to Anika Fiłon: she should prove that she had been the profile’s owner. The woman felt that employees of the international corporation had completely ignored her requests and that no one really wanted to deal with the matter.

“I sent all the documents I had collected. The photos on the profile clearly showed my face, my office and my videos. Besides, they are still there today. But they acted as if they either did not see it or did not want to see it,” says embittered Anika Fiłon.

Over the several weeks of corresponding with Facebook, the person who took over her profile eventually changed the page’s name and added new photos, while Anika Fiłon was left without a business page (although her old posts are still present on the taken-over profile).

Korespondencja Aniki Fiłon z facebookiem. Przez 36 dni, po wysłaniu kilkunastu dokumentów, facebook nie podjął decyzji o przywróceniu kontaKorespondencja Aniki Fiłon z facebookiem. Przez 36 dni, po wysłaniu kilkunastu dokumentów, facebook nie podjął decyzji o przywróceniu konta • zrzut ekranu z facebooka
Pracowników facebooka nie przekonuje nawet to, że na profilu chińskiej firmy są relacje z wydarzeń w Bolesławcu, na których jest widoczna Anika FiłonPracowników facebooka nie przekonuje nawet to, że na profilu chińskiej firmy są relacje z wydarzeń w Bolesławcu, na których jest widoczna Anika Fiłon • zrzut z facebooka

Facebook’s disregard

Regarding the woman from Bolesławiec, we wrote to Katarzyna Purschel of Hillandknowlton, who handled Facebook’s contacts with journalists. We sent the email on February 8. To this day, we have not received any response.

In 2022, Facebook’s Polish branch (Facebook Poland Sp. z o.o.) earned more than PLN 44.9 million in net profit. Maria Begona Deirdre Fallon Farrugia, a member of Facebook Poland’s management board, stated in the 2022 report that the company employed 115 people at the end of December. If Facebook hired two additional competent and capable people to handle reports such as Anika Fiłon’s, Polish entrepreneurs would certainly feel supported by the giant. Facebook would only have to reduce the company’s profit from approximately PLN 44.9 million to PLN 44.6 million.

Anika Fiłon has now lost all hope of recovering the profile.