Getting banned from Quora is frustrating enough. Getting banned after you stop doing the very thing they warned you about, and then watching them deny your appeal without explanation, is a different level of infuriating.
This is exactly what happened to me.
And from the outside, it might look like a simple spam enforcement issue.
But when you look at the details, the situation exposes something bigger and more telling:
Quora’s moderation system is built to punish, not to understand.
The First Warning: Fair Enough
At the beginning, I posted answers about earning money online. Some of those answers included my Linktree, which contained platforms like Freecash. Early on, I’ll admit that I shared the link frequently. Even though the questions were relevant, I understand how that might trigger Quora’s automated system.
When I received a warning, I accepted it. The warning was valid. I understood what they were saying, and I took responsibility.
So I adjusted immediately.
The Second Time: No Link Posted at All
Here is the part that makes the entire situation absurd.
The answer that triggered the second ban did not include any link.
Nothing. Not even my Linktree.
I wrote a normal, text based answer. No referrals, no external URLs, no self-promotion. I followed the warning exactly as instructed.
And moments after that text only answer, my account was banned anyway.
This is where the frustration really comes from. I wasn’t banned for continuing the old behavior. I was banned even after stopping it, even after doing exactly what they asked, and even after complying fully with their policies.
My Appeal: Clear, Detailed, and Respectful
I submitted an appeal explaining everything:
I acknowledged that my earlier link usage may have been excessive.
I explained that I had since changed my behaviour.
I pointed out that the answer before the ban contained no link.
I addressed every line of the spam policy one by one.
I clarified that I never posted scams, illegal services, or irrelevant answers.
My appeal wasn’t emotional. It wasn’t rude. It wasn’t defensive.
It was thorough, logical, and backed by their own rules.
Quora’s Response: The Same Copy-Paste Message
Despite all of that, they responded with the exact same boilerplate message:
Your appeal has been rejected
The decision is final
Refer to the spam policy
No explanation.
No mention of the fact that my last answer had no link.
No acknowledgment of anything I wrote.
No clarification, no reasoning, nothing.
It was as if my appeal was never even read.
Why This Is Not an Accident
People assume that support teams read appeals.
But Quora’s system is not built for that.
Here’s how it really works:
Accounts are flagged automatically based on posting patterns.
Once flagged for “monetized behavior,” the system locks you into the spam category.
Support agents are not permitted to override these bans.
Support agents are not allowed to give detailed explanations.
Support agents are required to use templates, not custom responses.
This means:
Your arguments do not matter.
Your explanations do not matter.
Your changes in behaviour do not matter.
Even the fact that your last post contained no link does not matter.
Once you have been labeled, the label becomes permanent.
The Emotional Reality: Why It Hurts So Much
What makes the experience worse is the mismatch:
You take the time to write a thoughtful, respectful, detailed appeal.
They take two seconds to paste a canned message.
That imbalance makes you feel:
ignored
dismissed
treated like a number instead of a person
punished for something you didn’t do the second time
And in my case, it was especially infuriating because the supposed “spam behaviour” they banned me for wasn’t even present in the answer that triggered the ban.
The Bigger Problem: A Moderation System Without Nuance
Quora’s rules about spam are extremely broad.
But their enforcement system is even broader.
If your account ever displays:
external links
referral based platforms
patterns of monetization
similar answers to repeat questions
…then you can be permanently flagged as a “promotional account,” even if you later correct your behavior. Once the algorithm decides that you fall into that category, your future behaviour doesn’t matter. The system only sees the category, not you.
This is why the appeals process is essentially meaningless.
You are not appealing to a human.
You are appealing to a system that has already made its decision.
What This Means for Anyone Using Quora
If you answer questions in the money-making or side hustle niche, even legitimately:
You are high risk
You will be flagged faster
You will be held to stricter interpretations of “promotion”
And if flagged once, your account is permanently marked
Even if you fix your behaviour.
Even if your last answer has no link.
Even if your intention is good.
Quora’s system does not give second chances. It gives predetermined outcomes.
Final Thoughts
Am I right to be upset? Yes.
Anyone would be.
I followed their warning.
I wrote a text-only answer.
I stopped using links entirely.
I addressed their policy thoroughly.
And still, I was banned with no explanation.
But this situation shows something important:
Quora’s moderation is not designed to understand users.
It is designed to remove anything that might resemble monetization, even accidentally. And once flagged, you are treated as guilty forever, no matter how much you improve.
The platform claims to encourage knowledge sharing, but their system often shuts down legitimate contributors simply because the algorithm made a decision that no human is empowered to reconsider.
If you are a creator, a knowledge sharer, or someone who genuinely wants to help people, relying on a system like this is a gamble. One automated flag can erase all your work overnight.
Shame on Jen from Quora.
The Immoral List 
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