Policy Violation: Malicious Image Submission – 30-Day Ban
I received a 30-day ban and was initially confused. I was later contacted by someone from Niantic, and it was clarified that the issue was related to the use of a third-party image—in this case, a single Google image for a submission. All other photos I submitted were taken by me, and I provided timestamped proof from
my iPhone.
I take full accountability for my actions. However, the penalty feels quite severe given the situation, as I was not attempting to manipulate Wayfarer or gain an unfair advantage in adding PokéStops. I genuinely enjoy the game and the contribution process.
The support team also stated: “Please be aware that any further violations can lead to the permanent suspension of your Wayfarer and connected game accounts.” As much as I enjoy participating, I will need to step away from submitting to avoid risking a permanent suspension, as I have invested a significant amount into the game.
Has anyone every gotten a suspension removed is my question ?
Yes, sometimes people are able to get their suspensions overturned if there has been an error.
In your case though, I imagine they’d be unlikely to do so, as you admit that you used a third party image. When you make a nomination through Pokémon Go, it quite clearly states not to do this on the screen where it asks you to take a picture for your nomination, as well as being covered in the wayfarer guidelines as something that shouldn’t be done.
Using third party images is a copyright issue that could result in legal action being taken, which is why it’s viewed as one of the more serious wayfarer violations.
So long as you don’t break any other rules, this suspension will be wiped from your records after a year of good behaviour. I would suggest that you make sure you read the guidelines carefully, so that if you do continue to contribute towards wayfarer after your suspension, you don’t do anything that could jeopardise your account.
Thanks for the feedback! I didn’t know that things like that can be wiped after a year—that’s good to know. For now, I’ll stay away and wait out my ban.
Hello @NamboC
So that you have all the details this is a link to the policy
And you will see the 1 year redemption period.
If you decide to do wayfarer again you will need to post in Bug Reports & Technical Support as they have to manually restore access.
I hope the time passes smoothly