The figures were published in Meta’s India Monthly Report for July 2026, released on August 31. The report covers complaints received through Meta’s grievance mechanisms between July 1 and July 31.
The data shows that Facebook witnessed the most dramatic month-on-month increase. Hacking-related complaints rose from 959 in June to 10,997 in July, while Instagram complaints increased from 4,197 to 16,621 during the same period.
The figures have raised concerns around account security and access, although Meta’s data does not establish how many accounts were actually compromised.
Facebook hacking complaints rise nearly 11 times
Facebook recorded 10,997 hacking-related complaints in July, compared with 959 in June and 658 in May.
The July figure was nearly 11 times the number reported in June and about 17 times the May figure. On average, this amounted to around 355 hacking-related complaints being filed on Facebook every day during July.
The sharp rise represents a significant change from the relatively low numbers recorded during the preceding two months.
However, the complaints should not be interpreted as confirmed instances of successful cyberattacks. Meta’s monthly report records complaints submitted by users through its grievance channels and does not state that every complaint represented a verified account compromise.
Meta said it provided self-service or recovery tools in 10,629 of the 10,997 Facebook hacking-related complaints received during July.
The company also said that 100 per cent of complaints received in this category received a response.
Instagram records more than 16,000 complaints
Instagram reported an even higher number of hacking-related complaints in July.
The platform received 16,621 complaints during the month, compared with 4,197 in June and 4,652 in May.
The July figure was roughly four times the June number. It worked out to an average of about 536 hacking-related complaints a day during the month.
Meta said appropriate self-service or recovery tools were provided in 15,425 of the 16,621 Instagram complaints.
As with Facebook, Meta said every complaint in the reported category received a response.
The figures indicate that account-access problems were not limited to one platform, although the scale and reasons behind the increase remain unclear.
Complaints over page and group access also rise
The July increase extended beyond individual account-hacking complaints.
Complaints concerning loss of access to pages or groups on Instagram increased from 3,379 in June to 6,673 in July.
Facebook also recorded an increase in complaints relating to the loss of access to pages or groups. Such complaints rose from 884 in June to 1,156 in July.
The increase suggests that access-related issues formed another significant part of the grievance data reported by Meta during the month.
However, the rise was not uniform across all categories.
Complaints involving fake profiles did not record a similar increase on either Facebook or Instagram. This indicates that the July surge was concentrated more heavily in account-hacking and access-related categories rather than representing a broad increase across every type of complaint.
Complaints do not equal confirmed cyberattacks
One of the most important points in interpreting Meta’s July figures is the distinction between a complaint and a confirmed security breach.
The numbers represent complaints submitted by users through Meta’s official grievance mechanism. They do not provide a count of confirmed hacking incidents, police cases or successful cyber intrusions.
The report also does not disclose how many accounts were ultimately recovered after users submitted complaints.
Similarly, there is no breakdown showing how many accounts remained inaccessible, how many were permanently compromised or how many complaints were resolved through the recovery tools offered by Meta.
Therefore, the increase in complaints should be viewed as a rise in user-reported account-access and hacking concerns rather than definitive evidence that the number of successful cyberattacks increased by the same proportion.
Meta does not explain July spike
The monthly report does not provide an explanation for the unusually sharp increase in hacking-related complaints during July.
That leaves several questions unanswered about what drove the jump, particularly on Facebook.
The increase could be examined more closely through subsequent monthly reports, which may show whether complaint volumes returned to earlier levels or remained elevated.
A sustained increase would point to a continuing account-access problem, while a sharp fall in subsequent months could indicate that July was an isolated spike.
At present, the July report itself does not establish the reason for the increase.
Technical caveat in Meta’s report
Meta has also included an important caveat concerning the reliability of some of the category-level data.
According to the report, technical issues meant that the accuracy of data relating to complaints filed under specific categories could not be verified.
Meta nevertheless stated that the overall grievance-report figure was correct.
This qualification is important when comparing individual complaint categories and drawing conclusions from month-to-month changes.
While the overall number of grievances reported by Meta is presented as accurate, the company’s caveat means that category-specific figures should be interpreted with some caution.
What the July figures indicate
The July data provides a clear picture of a substantial rise in user-reported hacking and access complaints on Meta’s platforms.
Facebook recorded 10,997 hacking complaints, up sharply from 959 in June, while Instagram reported 16,621, compared with 4,197 in June.
At the same time, the figures do not establish how many users were victims of confirmed cyberattacks or how many accounts were successfully recovered.
Meta’s provision of recovery tools in the overwhelming majority of reported hacking complaints shows that the company responded to most of the cases through its support mechanisms. However, the report does not provide sufficient information to assess the final outcome of those interventions.
Further monthly data will therefore be important in determining whether July represented a one-month spike or the beginning of a longer-term increase in account-hacking and access complaints.