Account recovery and your online rights in Europe: every guide for the EU, the UK and Switzerland

01 / Your rights10

Your rights in Europe at a glance

• A statement of reasonsDSA Art. 17When a platform removes your content or suspends your account, it must tell you why and how to challenge it.
• A free internal complaintDSA Art. 20At least six months to contest the decision, free of charge, and not decided solely by automated means.
• An independent dispute bodyDSA Art. 21Certified bodies such as Appeals Centre Europe review the decision; free or low-cost for users.
• Notice and actionDSA Art. 16Report illegal content with a reasoned notice; the platform must decide and tell you the outcome.
• A complaint to a regulatorDSA Art. 53Report a platform’s breach of the DSA to the Digital Services Coordinator where you live.
• A copy of your dataGDPR Art. 15Ask any company for your personal data; the first copy is free and due within one month.
• Erasure and delistingGDPR Art. 17Have personal data deleted and outdated results about you removed from search engines.
• A data protection complaintGDPR Art. 77Complain free of charge to your national authority when a company ignores or refuses your request.
• A refund for unauthorised paymentsPSD2 Art. 73Your bank must refund a payment you did not authorise, normally by the end of the next business day.
• UK: safer platforms and age checksOnline Safety ActUK services must tackle illegal content and check ages before showing content harmful to children.

02 / Guides17 guides

Guides

• Appeals Centre Europe and other DSA dispute bodies: how to challenge a ban or removal in the EU5 min readBanned or removed on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube? Take it to Appeals Centre Europe: who can apply, what it reviews, 90-day decisions and no user fee.
• Reporting illegal content in the EU: how a DSA notice works, what the platform must do, and where to escalate4 min readThreats, defamation, leaked images or scams online? How to send a DSA illegal-content notice that works, what platforms must do and where to escalate in the EU.
• Platform breaking EU rules? How to complain to your Digital Services Coordinator, country by country4 min readNo reasons, no appeal, no reply? How to report a platform’s DSA breach to your Digital Services Coordinator, the regulator in each EU country — with the list.
• How to file a GDPR complaint against Meta, TikTok, Google or any company — and which data protection authority handles it4 min readCompany ignoring your GDPR request? Ask it first, then complain free to your data protection authority: who handles Meta, Google and TikTok, deadlines, the list.
• GDPR access request: how to get your data from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Google — even when you can’t log in5 min readLocked out, hacked or banned? Use your GDPR right of access to get your data, login history and IP addresses: the self-service tools, a request template, deadlines.
• Fake parcel delivery text: how to spot it, where to report it in Europe, and what to do if you clicked or paid4 min readA text says your parcel is on hold and asks for a small fee? How to spot the fake, where to report it in the UK and the EU, and what to do if you paid.
• Scams on Vinted, Kleinanzeigen, Leboncoin, Wallapop and Subito: the fake “payment received” link, and how to buy and sell safely4 min readA buyer sends a link to “receive your payment”? It’s a scam. The common tricks on Vinted, Kleinanzeigen, Leboncoin and Wallapop, and what to do if you fell for one.
• Paid a scammer by bank transfer in the EU or UK: recalling the money, Verification of Payee and your refund rights5 min readSent money to a scammer by transfer or instant payment? What to do in the first hour, when EU banks must refund, the new IBAN name check (VoP) and UK reimbursement.
• Fake online shops: how to check a shop before you pay, and how to get your money back in Europe4 min readOrdered from a shop that never delivered? How to spot a fake shop with free checkers, what to do for each way you paid, and where to report it in Europe.
• Asked to prove your age online in the UK? What the Online Safety Act requires, the accepted check methods, and how to protect your data4 min readSince July 2025, UK apps must check ages before showing content harmful to children. The methods Ofcom accepts, what you share, and what to do if locked out.
• Account suspended in the EU: your appeal rights under the Digital Services Act3 min readIf you live in the EU, the Digital Services Act gives you a statement of reasons, a free internal appeal and an independent dispute body. How to use them.
• GDPR right to erasure: how to get personal data deleted and delisted from Google3 min readUse GDPR Article 17 to get personal data deleted by a website or platform, and the right to be forgotten to delist results from Google in Europe.
• Hacked account or online scam: where to report it, country by country4 min readOfficial places to report a hacked account or online scam in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, the UAE and more.
• Appeal deadlines by platform: how long you have to challenge a ban (2026)4 min readHow long you have to appeal a suspended or disabled account on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, Google, WhatsApp and Snapchat — and what happens after.
• Online harassment: how to report it, and where to escalate when the platform ignores you4 min readHarassed on Instagram, TikTok or X? Document it, report it, switch on the safety tools, then escalate: eSafety, Report Harmful Content, the EU DSA — or the police.
• How to remove your personal information from the internet3 min readYour phone number, address or old photos online? Remove personal data from Google, people-search sites, social media and old accounts — and stop it coming back.
• How to remove negative content from Google: a practical guide3 min readRemove outdated pages, negative news and personal data from Google: Results about you, the outdated content tool, legal requests, the right to be forgotten.

03 / Our services7

Our services

• Instagram Account RecoveryServiceInstagram account disabled or suspended, or your appeal rejected? We prepare and escalate the official review to get it reinstated. Free pre-analysis.
• Facebook Account RecoveryServiceFacebook account disabled or suspended, or Business Manager restricted? We handle the appeal and the ownership-evidence route. Free pre-analysis.
• TikTok Account RecoveryServiceTikTok account banned, permanently banned or suspended? We prepare the official appeal and escalate it when the first review fails. Free pre-analysis.
• YouTube Channel RecoveryServiceYouTube channel terminated or suspended? We prepare the one appeal that counts and pursue escalation through YouTube's official routes. Free pre-analysis.
• Hacked Account RecoveryServiceAccount hacked, email or phone changed? We run the official recovery route on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, X and Google. Free pre-analysis.
• Instagram Content & Account RemovalServiceA fake account using your name or photos, or posts shared without consent? We file and escalate Instagram's official impersonation and content reports.
• Google Result Removal & Business ProfileServiceOutdated articles, exposed personal data or a wrong Google business listing? We use Google's official removal, right-to-be-forgotten and correction routes.

04 / Key terms13 terms

Key terms

• Out-of-court dispute settlement (DSA)
• Statement of reasons (DSA)
• Digital Services Coordinator (DSC)
• Trusted flagger
• Right to be forgotten
• Delisting
• Subject access request (SAR)
• Lead supervisory authority (one-stop-shop)
• Verification of Payee (VoP)
• Authorised push payment (APP) fraud
• Fake shop
• Smishing
• Age verification

Efe Recovery Services is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the European Commission, any national regulator or data protection authority, or any dispute settlement body named in these guides.