The Appeals Centre Europe, a Dublin-based social media appeals body, has issued more than 1,500 decisions since it began operating in November 2024.
The centre hears complaints from social media users in Ireland and across the EU on issues such as account suspensions and the removal of content.
It has issued its first transparency report showing that in more than three-quarters of its decisions, it overturned social media companies and ruled in favour of users.
Around a third of the overturn decisions were taken after the centre reviewed the content and disagreed with the platform's original decision.
Around two-thirds of the overturn decisions were "default decisions" where, despite the dispute being eligible, the platform did not provide the centre with the content, and it issued a default decision in the user’s favour.
In the remaining quarter of cases, the centre upheld the platform’s decision after reviewing the content in question.
The main areas of complaint related to hate speech, adult nudity and bullying.
Examples of cases included images of nudity being removed despite them being posted in a medical context, news reports being taken down for mentioning a terrorist organisation, and failures to remove bullying, harassment and hate speech.
"More than three-quarters of our decisions overturned Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube either because we disagreed with their decision after reviewing the content, or because the platform did not send us the content and we ruled in the user’s favour," the Appeals Centre said.
"The majority of these decisions promoted freedom of expression by recommending that a user’s content or account be restored," it added.
From November 2024 to August 2025, the centre received nearly 10,000 disputes about decisions by Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.
Of these, more than 3,300 disputes were within the scope of the centre, for which it has issued more than 1,500 decisions, with the rest expected in the coming weeks.
Non-binding decisions
The decisions of the Appeals Centre Europe are not legally binding on platforms.
Its transparency report shows that by the end of August 2025, in cases where Meta provided a response, it implemented around half of the centre's overturn decisions about Facebook and Instagram, representing around 100 cases.
By the end of August, TikTok had responded in 20 cases on whether it would implement overturn decisions, and in half of these cases, it accepted the decision and implemented it.
The centre said that co-operation with platforms has been mixed, highlighting progress with YouTube which it said has been very slow.
"We have received no content from the company, meaning that – by the end of August - we had made decisions on just 29 of the more than 340 eligible YouTube disputes submitted to us," the centre said.
The centre said it received the most eligible disputes from Poland, followed by France and Italy.
Read more: Appeals body to review social media account suspensions
Complaints from Ireland
In terms of eligible disputes submitted per capita, Ireland ranked fourth out of 27 EU countries.
There were 78 eligible disputes submitted from people in Ireland with 50 decisions issued.
Areas of complaint included account suspensions, bullying and hate speech.
"Default decisions" made up the vast majority of the decisions made about disputes from Ireland - these are cases where the platform did not provide the centre with the original content, and it issued a default decision in favour of the user.
Europe's 'best-kept-secret'
Under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), social media platforms must engage in good faith with dispute settlement bodies like the Appeals Centre and tell their users about this new option.
However, the centre has warned that some platforms are not highlighting the availability of the service, making it "Europe’s best-kept-secret".
The Appeals Centre has been certified by the Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán as an out-of-court dispute settlement body under the DSA.
The start-up funding for the centre was provided through a one-time grant from the Meta Oversight Board Trust, but the centre has insisted that it will be independent of Meta.
Going forward, the centre will be funded through fees charged to social media companies for each case.
Right now, users are not being charged for taking a case.
CEO, Appeals Centre Europe Thomas Hughes said: "Decisions by social media companies have very real consequences: from denying people a say in important debates, to cutting off a crucial source of income.
"But, as our Transparency Report shows, they don’t always get it right."
"If you’re in the EU, you can challenge the platform’s decision free-of-charge to the Appeals Centre and get an expert, impartial review," Mr Hughes said.
Future plans
The Appeals Centre currently covers Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Pinterest.
It said that during the rest of 2025, and moving into 2026, it will add other major online platforms.
The centre deals with complaints relating account suspensions and the removal of content, but it said that by the end of the year it will add new policy areas and enforcement types, such as scams, fraud, ads and marketplaces.
