(WSVN) - If you use Facebook, you may want to watch this. A woman used a Facebook page to post pictures of her late mother. Then one day Facebook deleted her page and would not return the pictures of her mother. Can Facebook keep your pictures? It’s why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser to get the answer.
You should live every day like it’s your last — because at any time, it can be.
Heather McEnery, Facebook keeping pictures: “She had a heart attack and went into a coma. Every day I sat there all day, every day crying, praying, hoping.”
Heather McEnery’s mother, Cynthia, was her treasure.
Heather McEnery: “Friendly, smiley, bubbly personality.”
When Cynthia passed away, Heather was devastated and often expressed her sorrow on her Facebook page.
Heather McEnery: “My Facebook account was also a grieving blog for my mom, and feeling like I’m talking to her by writing on her page.”
Heather filled her page with thoughts about her mother, and it’s where she put most of the pictures of her mother.
Heather McEnery: “Some of them were kept there for safe keeping, because I really trusted Facebook for that.”
Then one day she noticed suspicious activity on her Facebook page.
Heather McEnery: “Already I was like, ‘Is my account hacked?’ I don’t know what’s going on.”
And then the page disappeared.
Heather McEnery: “Tuesday morning, I woke up and the account was disabled.”
All the pictures of her mother were gone, and even worse, those were the only copies of many of the photos.
Heather McEnery: “Those pictures were taken on phones that were lost or stolen, or they’re broken and can’t be fixed. Facebook has the only receipt of them.”
Heather says she contacted Facebook and asked for access to the pictures of her mother. She was told no.
Heather McEnery: “That your account has been permanently disabled for not following community rules.”
Facebook would not tell her what community rules were violated. Was it something a hacker did, or something she did? Facebook would not respond to her anymore.
Heather McEnery: “You’re are basically keeping my mom’s photos and telling me I can’t have them. It’s extremely cruel.”
Well Howard, can Facebook delete your account and keep all your pictures?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Yes, they can do whatever they want because you agreed to their rules when you joined Facebook. For example, they do not have to tell you why they disabled your account. They don’t have to return your pictures. And if you decide to sue, you can only sue in Northern California, and the most you can collect is $100. The law would never allow people to be denied due process like this in court, but Facebook gets away with it because you agreed to it.”
Knowing Facebook’s rules were against us, we tried to reason with them — and left more confused than enlightened.
Facebook first told us, because Heather had appealed and they had denied her appeals, her pictures were gone.
When we asked why Heather was still getting notifications if her account was deleted, a Facebook representative then said her account was still preserved.
When we asked if she could then have her pictures, we were again told no.
We finally asked why her account was closed. We were told Heather was notified.
But Heather says Facebook would not tell her why her account was disabled.
Heather McEnery: “I feel like they’re not going to tell us exactly what it is that I did because I don’t think I actually did anything.”
As far as Facebook is concerned, they will not return the pictures of Heather’s mother.
As far as Heather is concerned, she will never return to Facebook at all.
Heather McEnery: “I don’t want anything to do with Facebook. If I can’t trust them to just give me my mother’s pictures back, what can you trust them with?”
You call it your Facebook page, but it’s really Facebook’s page and you have no control over them. Now if you have pictures you can’t replace on your Facebook page, there is a way to save them. That link is below.
Have treasures you feel are slipping away? Wanna face booking a solution? Click us to be the friend you can trust.
TO SAVE YOUR FACEBOOK PHOTOS, CLICK HERE.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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