Looking to solve the Facebook ban hammer flagging you for Circumventing Systems?
You may be surprised to learn that Circumventing Systems is a relatively new flag. I remember when it came out I was working in advertising at Facebook (now called Meta). It appeared only after 2019.
This flag was mainly intended to stop the clickbait farms from creating dummy accounts BUT unfortunately regular advertisers like yourself often get hit with it too.
My last blog provided you with a Facebook ad account restricted guide, and today, you’ll get answers Facebook isn’t giving on how to solve a Circumventing Systems flag.
Why listen to me? Well, I worked at Facebook in ads for a few years, before promoted to back end tech. After that, I was advanced to a Project Manager position for the creator monetization program (Stars on Reels etc).
So, suffice to say:
Those other blogs you read are just guessing at the right answer.
My goal is to give advertisers a better roadmap than Facebook | Meta does, as FB will hang you out to dry with shutdowns but no explanations. I like to help folks, so I’ll help you today with Circumventing Systems.
(Also don’t miss out on the Facebook Ad Policies Checklist)
If you need help rewriting ad copy to be compliant with Facebook I offer a prescreen service – book a discovery call here.
Circumventing Systems: Malicious Software
Facebook wants you to create ads across the Facebook platform that encourage connections, increased engagement, that are also relevant, safe for users and from authentic accounts.
They don’t allow advertisers to run ads, content, or destinations that attempt to trick or circumvent Facebook’s ad review process. This also applies to app download ads.
Seems like it’s pretty obvious but don’t try to run ads for apps that are really a computer virus. Or any kind of malware.
Now, there has been a known glitch where advertisers running app install ads get flagged for “discriminating practices” but usually, you can chat in to Facebook Ad Support and get your ads live again for this particular glitch.
(Also, a good roadmap is: What to Do After Violating Facebook’s Ad Policies)
Have you noticed that people are getting hacked left and right? I think a lot of 3rd world countries whose economy is already even worse than most place, have decided to use hacking like a 9-5 job. Malaysia, Bangladesh, Philippines and more are the source.
I mention this because if your site has been hacked but you don’t know this Facebook will flag you for Circumventing Systems – and assume you are guilty too.
If your website has been hacked, the hacker may be using a credit card skimmer, installing malware on end user devices, launching pop-up ads, redirecting users to other websites, and doing things with user data without the end user’s consent.
People who have been hacked, for some dumbass reason, think Facebook will solve this for them – even though Facebook didn’t hack them and is not a cybersecurity company. At the same time…
Facebook’s Help Center is a joke with outdated articles, bad info and wrong answers.
If you have been hacked don’t ask Facebook for help – you need to remove the malware from your computer, and from your root files in your website database – so hire a cybersecurity company for that.
If Facebook deems your ad as deceptive, promising a value proposition that it does not meet then you may get hit with the Circumventing Systems flag.
Some of my clients who got hit with this before working with me were casinos. The reason is because casinos often deal with real money, their ads can come across as MLM-y.
Well, if the ad copy isn’t properly vetted for ad policy compliance beforehand that is.
As Liana Lang, CEO of Power Up Strategy Inc. said, “Please meet Trevor, my ‘secret weapon’ for all things Facebook compliance. I highly recommend hiring him to help you out especially if you plan to be running ads.”
Want the same white glove treatment navigating Facebook shutdowns? Click here, to schedule a discovery call.
The unfair advantage piece mainly refers to when you artificially try to inflate your engagement numbers by getting people to organically try to like and share content.
Affiliates marketers often do shit like this, and sure, it can be effective if you don’t get caught and it doesn’t look too fake. But when you have folks with fake-looking Facebook profiles without a picture, you might as well be a clickbait farm as well. So, don’t do this stuff to avoid the Circumventing Systems flag.
You’re thinking, “How hard can it be to follow Facebook ad policies??”
Well, it can be harder than it sounds because a machine is the one deciding if your ad copy is compliant or banned. (Check out my article Facebook ad account disabled next steps).
If your Facebook ads are deliberately trying to skirt the facebook ad policies and are obvious about it you’ll get hit with the Circumventing Systems flag.
Examples of this could include:
‣ Misspelling prohibited words or phrases to avoid ad disapproval
‣ Manipulating trademark terms in the ad text, domain, subdomain, or logo
‣ Misspelling a trademark names (Nike –> Niky) to avoid restrictions on the use of that trademark
If you haven’t had a chance yet, read my break down of Common Facebook Ad Policy Violations [Explained]
What everyone (for the most part) knows about Circumventing Systems is that it’s a flag you get if you’re trying to get around Facebook’s policies. For example, creating a new ad account to run the same ads that already got shut down (stupid).
(You should be auditing your ads for policy strikes actively, learning from this, and not making new ads with the same fucking flags duh).
BUT Facebook doesn’t play fair either. Because, if the machines flagged you for innocent copy that perhaps has an idiom taken literally (“We’ll KILL competitors with this ad program!”) and you try to start again with a new Business Manager, if you aren’t doing this correctly, FB will flag you with Circumventing Systems.
Here’s what most people don’t know about Circumventing Systems: it’s a header flag. The automations often use this flag when they know something is wrong with your ads but either:
○ Aren’t sure what it is
○ Have additional flags they’re adding up
○ Flag you for a micro flag not a shut down flag
What this means for you:
The flag you’re told is Circumventing Systems but the real flag that got you shut down is entirely different. This makes is extremely difficult to pinpoint why you were really flagged.
Just know that even if you got the Circumventing Systems flag – it doesn’t mean that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Did you already get your Facebook ad account disabled? Don’t get ripped off! Read How to Recover Facebook Ad Accounts now
If you’ve been shutdown a lot but never got answers, you’re like one of my clients, Steve Martinez, Vice President of Apollidon Learning.
“Trevor took us through the process of getting one of our University of Texas ad accounts reinstated (within minutes). He offered some critical insights to why our Facebook Ad Account was disabled and shared options to reduce our chances of future issues. We have a better understand of how the algorithm works and know exactly what to do and say if our account gets disabled again.”
Want to see how I can help you? Schedule a free discovery call here. Or, if you’re in a rush, prepay for your consulting call and skip the line.
Spam Policies for Facebook Search
Let’s face it: the most clickbait sounding ad copy always sells the best. “Lose 50 pounds in 7 days” will get tons of clicks. BUT it will also get you shut down on Facebook.
The reason is that Facebook wants the ads to sound realistic. Meta does not like MLMs or a spam farm ads with ad copy like:
“1 Weird Trick to Reduce Belly Fat.”
Where this relates to Circumventing Systems is that because this is often used as a blanket header flag, you may get hit with it just for sounding spammy. NOT because you created new ad accounts to get around a shut down.
So, you want to find that sweet spot between high converting crazy promise ad copy and super compliant but dull Facebook ad copy. In between those 2 extremes you can get an ad with great CTR and ROI that doesn’t get you shut down.
Why Does a Facebook Ads Account Suspension Happen?
Usually you get banned because the automations have tracked a sequence of actions or behavior over a period of time and determined that you are a bad actor.
This can be either having too many ads rejected in a short amount of time or can be because you triggered a larger ban. Sometimes 1 or 2 banned words alone can get you completely shut down.
That’s why it’s important to keep track of your ad account health and ratio of approved vs disapproved ads.
And it’s vital to have a clear understanding of why you were shut down for each time you had an ad rejected or an ad account disabled – so you can prevent the same thing from happening again.
This really depends on your particular ad account history and the type of business that you run. Are you selling real estate or trying to do ads for crypto? Then you have a MUCH slimmer margin of error you’re allowed.
For most people, it is like a tracking system that awards negative points over a period of time. Just like when you get into a car accident your insurance rates go up.
The difference is there is 0 transparency with Facebook for why you have been shut down or how close you are to getting shut down from policy strikes you may not even know you are accumulating.
Navigating Facebook’s Advertising Policies as a Business is a good read too if you’re looking to go from ignorance on Facebook ad policy to having some clarity.
Or wanna skip the bullshit and just find out how close your ad account is to a shut down and prevent it? Schedule a Facebook discovery call with me now.
Next Cloaking is when an advertiser sends Facebook ads to one landing page that is compliant but then it directs to a landing page that isn’t.
Facebook hates this (and hates affiliate marketers because they are often the ones doing that). It is enough to get you straight up banned at the profile level.
Quick recap on Cloaking and what’s not allowed:
⦿ Redirection to non-compliant content
⦿ Using dynamic DNS to switch page or ad content
⦿ Manipulating site content
⦿ Using click trackers to redirect users to malicious sites
⦿ Disguising your lander in any way
2. Manipulating ad text
If you’re running Google PPC ads, text manipulation is whenever someone uses text from multiple languages or Unicode blocks in an effort to bypass the automated system checks run by Google.
But it also includes misspelling brand names, or celebrity names to get clicks by fooling Facebook users into thinking they are clicking on one company, brand, or celeb when it’s really your company.
NOTE: This includes misspelling curse words
If you are running ads and spending $100K a year or more on ads, I can help with that.
Also check out: Top Reasons Why Facebook Disables Ad Accounts
3. Using Redirects and Frames
Want a complete ban level flag instantly? Try to direct Facebook users to a new URL after they clicked on the original URL. While it’s similar to cloaking, redirects mean something different:
You have a main domain and an addon domain. If you’re redirecting from a main domain to an add on domain Facebook’s machines will think you are cloaking a URL and throw that ban hammer down harder than Chris Hemsworth as Thor.
I would encourage you to not use ANY redirects as innocent as you think they are.
A good example is advertisers who use a bridge page before a sales page and the sales page is the display URL in the ad, but the bridge page is the actual destination.
Facebook will think you are spammer if they see this redirect, so don’t do it. For more info read How to Fix NonFunctional Landing Pages
4. Repeated policy violations
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I sure hope so. Because marketers who run multiple ads with the same flags – especially after already being told an ad isn’t compliant if it’s rejected – run the risk of Facebook bans.
Consulting programs and courses that teach you how to start a business and run FB ads sometimes tell you to run like 100 ads at once when just starting because they know FB automations may miss a few that violate their ad policies.
But if you do this, Facebook will hit you with the Circumventing Systems flag. So, don’t be a fuck up like that. Learn the dang policies and don’t repeat past mistakes.
Having trouble defining where that line exactly is for what you can and cannot say? This is my zone of genius, schedule a free discovery call here.
How to Troubleshoot Circumventing Systems
Ah yes, what you’ve all been waiting for. How to f$^&ng fix the Circumventing Systems flag! Here is my best advice:
• Check to see how many ads you have had rejected in the past 60 days versus approved
• Make sure your website is safe from malware, run scans, hire a cybersecurity company
• Audit your marketing funnel for ad policy violations and find the exact reason you got flagged
• If you’re running app install ads make sure you aren’t using real money
• Look for ad copy that sounds like an MLM
• Make sure your ad copy sounds realistic to Facebook
• Don’t use evasive ad copy – ensure your spelling is correct
• Put a magnifying glass to your marketing and make it not sound spammy
• Take out all redirects from websites connected to your Facebook ads
Did you know your ads have to follow a 1000 more rules than you are actually told about?
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to never have to get flagged again by getting access to someone who has experience working at Facebook.
What if you had a guarantee that your ads were compliant before they went live on Facebook? What if you knew 100% without guessing why your ad account was disabled? What if you knew why your Facebook ads were blocked and had a path to get ads live again?
Keep reading for these answers and more:
New Solution to Facebook Ad Policy Violations
After years of working at Facebook, I understand exactly what ad copy in your funnel is triggering the automations and how to get compliant.
Get solid answers directly from the source instead guessing, googling, and playing roulette. Schedule a call with me and I can easily tell you proven reasons why the automations flag you and how to become compliant.
You’ll be swapping out walking in a minefield of ad flags, to have a sure path to having your Facebook ad accounts protected from being disabled.
My clients have included the social media marketing agencies of Tony Robbins, Harv Eker, and Dean Graziosi. I’m featured on the Queen of Facebook Mari Smith’s Marketing Essentials Course.
Save energy and money – how much is it costing you to not know why Facebook is shutting you down? Talk today.
If you want to skip the line before this offer ends, immediately secure an expert-level Facebook consulting call from someone at Facebook. Book a call with me now!
If you’re ok with waiting a bit longer, and entering the waitlist to see if you’re eligible – Schedule a call or contact me via email.
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