We had a similar case with one of our clients: we contacted support, it took a while, but the account was eventually restored and everything was fine. So sometimes it does get resolved - just at the cost of time and nerves. Maybe someone here has contacts of personal managers? Or have you found any wording in support requests that actually gets a real response faster?

Quote from: Konstantin Sutyagin on January 14, 2026, 07:02
I had my long established adobe portfolio blocked in 2024 ago for the exact same reason. I only had about 100+ AI images. And yes, it was super frustrating to get just canned replies and no explanation on why exactly it was blocked. Then it was suddenly unblocked a couple months later. My downloads tanked after that.

My only guess is they have a team of paranoid lawyers that made a policy to block portfolios on any suspicion and to never admit any wrong doing, so adobe staff routinely ignores requests for any detailed explanation. Could be even handled by canned reply script and then sent straight into trash to save employees time, so no live person is even seeing it, who knows.

Needless to say I didn't submit a single AI generated image since then. Knowing how adobe handles it, submitting AI to my photo/video portfolio feels like walking on a mind field. But still, I have a few ideas that I would like to experiment with in regards to AI video. I remember that Adobe allowed to have more than one contributor account earlier, then changed their rules. I was wondering if its allowed to create a separate account for AI content these days?

I say that Adobe is full of creative people but not necessarily the smartest ones. I think that they thought AI would be the future (with their firefly and so). They were the first to accept AI images in their image library but they probably were not expecting the huge influx that was provided to them. Remember the long review times and no communication about that, just the banner that it would take 8 weeks or so. They also did not foresee that contributors would copy/steal from others which would create potential legal issues that would come from that. I think they have blocked a huge number of accounts in their panic when things did not go as they had foreseen. And in that chaotic panic there is colllateral damage in the sense that good willing people who did nothing wrong will be part of the blocking.
Pity that a company that is so creative does not have people in their organisation that can warn for or predict these risks/outcomes. Or maybe ignorant management shove those warnings aside. But they are a Kumbaya organisation, that is how they preach to us, so maybe they are really ignorant and clueless.

Hello everyone, Adobe blocked my account a week ago. I've already sent two messages contacting them, but haven't received a response. Does anyone know what to do? This has never happened to me before, and they only sent me an email informing me of suspicious activity on my account and a link with things I could have done to get my account suspended. But I don't know exactly what happened. Can anyone help me?

Just look at their forum. Every week new people who are deactivated. Just wonder if they delete the photos for AI.

Please sign this petition, share, as this can happen to any of us:

Appreciate the sentiment but would a peition really do anything?  Agree that Adobe just blocking people's account through no fault of the contributor is bad imo and worrying. 

I wish there were a better business model where the contributors have more rights.  Youtube is the same, heard of people spending years building a channel and then kicked off because because they've "broken the terms".   

I'm in England so our politicians can't really do much, they're useless anyway.

I have heard many such stories. Adobe and other agencies should implement a proper warning system before blocking portfolios. In many cases, contributors are not even at fault.
Even if there is a breach of terms, contributors should be given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, maybe with some penalty, instead of facing immediate suspension.

Quote from: Artist on May 26, 2026, 13:48
I have heard many such stories. Adobe and other agencies should implement a proper warning system before blocking portfolios. In many cases, contributors are not even at fault.
Even if there is a breach of terms, contributors should be given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, maybe with some penalty, instead of facing immediate suspension.

Of course and if someone stole all your images and is uploading them, you wouldn't want them to be banned immediately or stopped right away, without notice and taking time for investigation. Right?

When people come here and say "Adobe banned me" it would really add a little if they said why? Doesn't Adobe give a reason, or do they just block accounts and we have to guess and wait? Most I've seen, on other forums and groups is Suspicious Activity which seems to be a sudden burst of downloads, on an account that doesn't usually have that much activity. I suppose someone using a stolen credit card and downloading from mostly one account, could look suspicious. But of course the thief could just admire someones work and collection and wanted to steal them all. 

Quote from: ektwp89 on May 15, 2026, 19:55
Hello everyone, Adobe blocked my account a week ago. I've already sent two messages contacting them, but haven't received a response. Does anyone know what to do? This has never happened to me before, and they only sent me an email informing me of suspicious activity on my account and a link with things I could have done to get my account suspended. But I don't know exactly what happened. Can anyone help me?

Can you post the link? If it's the same as what I found, spamming, similars, mismatched information, multiple accounts, all kinds of things.

Is this the same link they sent you?  https://community.adobe.com/questions-38/what-does-suspicious-activity-mean-for-adobe-stock-contributor-accounts-1553548

1. Verification and Identity Issues

    Mismatched Details: Discrepancies between the name on the Adobe ID, the tax form (W-8BEN/W-9), and the payout account (PayPal/Payoneer).

    Multiple Accounts: Creating more than one contributor account without prior written authorization from Adobe.

    IP Inconsistencies: Frequent logins from vastly different geographic locations in a short timeframe, which may suggest account sharing or a compromised account.

2. Intellectual Property & Quality Control

    Spamming/Flooding: Uploading massive quantities of nearly identical content (often referred to as "similars"). While variations are allowed, hundreds of shots of the same subject with micro-adjustments can trigger a block.

    Generative AI Mislabeling: Failing to tag AI-generated content as "Illustrations" or "Generative AI," or submitting AI content that depicts real people/trademarked property without releases.

    Title/Tag Stuffing: Using irrelevant or "trending" keywords that don't match the actual image to manipulate search results.

3. Financial and Payout Irregularities

    Self-Buying: Purchasing your own assets to inflate download stats or trigger a payout.

    Artificial Download Inflation: Using bots or "download circles" (groups of people who agree to download each other's work) to manipulate the algorithm.

    Inconsistent Sales Spikes: A sudden, massive surge in downloads from a single source or a new account can trigger an automatic fraud review.

4. Legal Documentation

    Invalid Releases: Submitting forged or improperly filled out Model or Property Releases. If Adobe's legal team doubts the authenticity of a signature, they will often block the account immediately to prevent legal liability.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 26, 2026, 17:16

Quote from: Artist on May 26, 2026, 13:48
I have heard many such stories. Adobe and other agencies should implement a proper warning system before blocking portfolios. In many cases, contributors are not even at fault.
Even if there is a breach of terms, contributors should be given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, maybe with some penalty, instead of facing immediate suspension.

Of course and if someone stole all your images and is uploading them, you wouldn't want them to be banned immediately or stopped right away, without notice and taking time for investigation. Right?

When people come here and say "Adobe banned me" it would really add a little if they said why? Doesn't Adobe give a reason, or do they just block accounts and we have to guess and wait? Most I've seen, on other forums and groups is Suspicious Activity which seems to be a sudden burst of downloads, on an account that doesn't usually have that much activity. I suppose someone using a stolen credit card and downloading from mostly one account, could look suspicious. But of course the thief could just admire someones work and collection and wanted to steal them all. 

Thieves are thieve, yes they should be punished. But there have been cases when innocent portfolios got banned too and there is no way to reach the support team. The only thing is, if Adobe or any agency want to ban then atleast give them a chance to listen, they are being banned anyway so listening their side in their last moment should not be any issue.

Hi All, very longtime lurker here, thank you for all of the advice and content over the years.

I received the dreaded account blocked email from Adobe last week, for 'suspicious activity'. I've been through the list of reasons for 'suspicious activity' and I can't see anything that relates to my account.

Some context... I've been a contributor for 6 years, 100% travel photography and video with zero AI. I upload small batches, have around 700 vids and 600 photos in my relatively small port. I withdraw funds as soon as I hit the $25 limit so as not to leave large amounts in the account.

I have had nice, sustainable growth to the account this year, but no 'download bombs' or weird activity with large sales. My last uploads were of a waterfall in the UK, no copyright, releases needed etc.

What I've done so far;

- Logged a support email, received a case number.
- Completed the appeal form they sent me.
- Tried emailing Diego Gomez directly, trial and error email formats but not convinced it arrived. I also found Raul Ceron, but his email came back as deactivated.

I'm not one to sit on my hands if I can speed anything up. Have I missed anything or do I just now have to wait?

If anyone has email addresses for the Adobe Contributor team please let me know, struggling to find anything since Mat moved onto his new position.

Thanks in advance.

Quote from: Artist on May 27, 2026, 08:09

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 26, 2026, 17:16

Quote from: Artist on May 26, 2026, 13:48
I have heard many such stories. Adobe and other agencies should implement a proper warning system before blocking portfolios. In many cases, contributors are not even at fault.
Even if there is a breach of terms, contributors should be given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, maybe with some penalty, instead of facing immediate suspension.

Of course and if someone stole all your images and is uploading them, you wouldn't want them to be banned immediately or stopped right away, without notice and taking time for investigation. Right?

When people come here and say "Adobe banned me" it would really add a little if they said why? Doesn't Adobe give a reason, or do they just block accounts and we have to guess and wait? Most I've seen, on other forums and groups is Suspicious Activity which seems to be a sudden burst of downloads, on an account that doesn't usually have that much activity. I suppose someone using a stolen credit card and downloading from mostly one account, could look suspicious. But of course the thief could just admire someones work and collection and wanted to steal them all. 

Thieves are thieve, yes they should be punished. But there have been cases when innocent portfolios got banned too and there is no way to reach the support team. The only thing is, if Adobe or any agency want to ban then atleast give them a chance to listen, they are being banned anyway so listening their side in their last moment should not be any issue.

Sometimes this makes me wonder if they have so many bans and alerts that the team takes weeks to review the details? It could be that some software triggers the bans and then the humans have to come in to verify the details. But I'd agree, why does it take so long to look into a case? Some of these are obvious errors. If the problem is stolen images, then I can understand, trying to find the facts and who is the real author. That still leaves, IP address issues. But spaming keywords, title stuffing, AI not labeled, mismatched details, duplicate accounts and invalid releases are pretty much easy to see and find.

I wonder why there's such a lag and lack of communications? Are they so busy, that they can't keep up?

Hi, I also received the email about suspicious activity. I also sent an email and received a case number, but how did you complete the appeal form? Could you tell me the steps you followed? Thank you very much for your information.

Quote from: Mads82 on May 27, 2026, 11:10
Hi All, very longtime lurker here, thank you for all of the advice and content over the years.

I received the dreaded account blocked email from Adobe last week, for 'suspicious activity'. I've been through the list of reasons for 'suspicious activity' and I can't see anything that relates to my account.

Some context... I've been a contributor for 6 years, 100% travel photography and video with zero AI. I upload small batches, have around 700 vids and 600 photos in my relatively small port. I withdraw funds as soon as I hit the $25 limit so as not to leave large amounts in the account.

I have had nice, sustainable growth to the account this year, but no 'download bombs' or weird activity with large sales. My last uploads were of a waterfall in the UK, no copyright, releases needed etc.

What I've done so far;

- Logged a support email, received a case number.
- Completed the appeal form they sent me.
- Tried emailing Diego Gomez directly, trial and error email formats but not convinced it arrived. I also found Raul Ceron, but his email came back as deactivated.

I'm not one to sit on my hands if I can speed anything up. Have I missed anything or do I just now have to wait?

If anyone has email addresses for the Adobe Contributor team please let me know, struggling to find anything since Mat moved onto his new position.

Thanks in advance.

i've been blocked by AS -- no actual reason given - just 'you did something we dont like' - no response to any attempts to find out more. and since their review process was months behind i have no idea what images might have caused the block

i'm sorry to hear this, it is the worst feeling after working so hard on something. When I received the ban email I immediately contacted support with an email asking why. They opened a case, gave me a number and a few minutes later I received a standard email with a link to an appeal form if I thought the ban was incorrect. This is what I sent in my first email;

I've just had an email stating that my contributor account has been blocked for suspicious activity. I have had my contributor account for 6 years, sell mostly travel photography and videos with no AI content and have always been careful to adhere to guidelines. I'm very confused as to why this would happen when my account is in good standing. I would appreciate someone coming back to me as soon as possible to reinstate my account or provide further details.

Quote from: ektwp89 on May 27, 2026, 21:38
Hi, I also received the email about suspicious activity. I also sent an email and received a case number, but how did you complete the appeal form? Could you tell me the steps you followed? Thank you very much for your information.

Do you mind me asking how long ago this was? The big worry for me is that people were getting their accounts reviewed within about 30 days last year. This year I'm seeing reports of 6 months! I totally agree with account removal due to copyright or stealing someone's content, but there should be a better process for people who have accidentally ended up in the review process.

Quote from: cascoly on May 28, 2026, 01:56
i've been blocked by AS -- no actual reason given - just 'you did something we dont like' - no response to any attempts to find out more. and since their review process was months behind i have no idea what images might have caused the block

I get the impression that they are inundated with these issues at the moment. Last year it was taking around 30 days for appeals, this year I'm seeing a lot of people reporting months with zero communication. I did wonder if their AI tools are flagging contributors and the actual humans can't keep up. It seems like it's switched from last year the problem was asset approvals were taking weeks and weeks, that piece seems fixed now.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 27, 2026, 21:15

Quote from: Artist on May 27, 2026, 08:09

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 26, 2026, 17:16

Quote from: Artist on May 26, 2026, 13:48
I have heard many such stories. Adobe and other agencies should implement a proper warning system before blocking portfolios. In many cases, contributors are not even at fault.
Even if there is a breach of terms, contributors should be given an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, maybe with some penalty, instead of facing immediate suspension.

Of course and if someone stole all your images and is uploading them, you wouldn't want them to be banned immediately or stopped right away, without notice and taking time for investigation. Right?

When people come here and say "Adobe banned me" it would really add a little if they said why? Doesn't Adobe give a reason, or do they just block accounts and we have to guess and wait? Most I've seen, on other forums and groups is Suspicious Activity which seems to be a sudden burst of downloads, on an account that doesn't usually have that much activity. I suppose someone using a stolen credit card and downloading from mostly one account, could look suspicious. But of course the thief could just admire someones work and collection and wanted to steal them all. 

Thieves are thieve, yes they should be punished. But there have been cases when innocent portfolios got banned too and there is no way to reach the support team. The only thing is, if Adobe or any agency want to ban then atleast give them a chance to listen, they are being banned anyway so listening their side in their last moment should not be any issue.

Sometimes this makes me wonder if they have so many bans and alerts that the team takes weeks to review the details? It could be that some software triggers the bans and then the humans have to come in to verify the details. But I'd agree, why does it take so long to look into a case? Some of these are obvious errors. If the problem is stolen images, then I can understand, trying to find the facts and who is the real author. That still leaves, IP address issues. But spaming keywords, title stuffing, AI not labeled, mismatched details, duplicate accounts and invalid releases are pretty much easy to see and find.

I wonder why there's such a lag and lack of communications? Are they so busy, that they can't keep up?

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 26, 2026, 17:16
    IP Inconsistencies: Frequent logins from vastly different geographic locations in a short timeframe, which may suggest account sharing or a compromised account.

Certain websites do not load properly on my computer but for some reason load when i'm connected to VPN. Haven't been able to find a solution.
Adobe is one of them, i always login through VPN, i haven't received any warnings but maybe it's something similar that has caused this surge in blocked accounts?

I also use VPN from time to time.

Now that I know this, I will make sure to never use a VPN when connecting to Adobe stock!

Quote from: dk on May 28, 2026, 19:58

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 26, 2026, 17:16
    IP Inconsistencies: Frequent logins from vastly different geographic locations in a short timeframe, which may suggest account sharing or a compromised account.

Certain websites do not load properly on my computer but for some reason load when i'm connected to VPN. Haven't been able to find a solution.
Adobe is one of them, i always login through VPN, i haven't received any warnings but maybe it's something similar that has caused this surge in blocked accounts?

Some people use VPN all the time, for security or at least to combat spam. This would be normal and shouldn't trigger "unusual activity" including changing locations. It's just wrong that Adobe can't at least look and respond, even if that response is "we're looking into it, thank you for the information".

Quote from: cascoly on May 28, 2026, 01:56
i've been blocked by AS -- no actual reason given - just 'you did something we dont like' - no response to any attempts to find out more. and since their review process was months behind i have no idea what images might have caused the block

That's sad to hear. You've been a contributor for many years and IMO Adobe Stock should handle supposed issues with long-time contributors differently from a new (less than one year) account. Long-standing contributors know the rules and have a track record with Adobe Stock; that tips the scales slightly towards it being more likely Adobe Stock effed up.

Adding insult to injury, they don't tell you what you supposedly did wrong. You've been making money for Adobe Stock for years and that ought to count for something in sorting out problems quickly and fairly.

If the bottleneck is masses of newly-opened accounts run by people who don't know what they're doing, that shouldn't have any bearing on promptly dealing with potential issues with established contributor accounts. Two separate queues.

This isn't the first time something of this sort has happened and Adobe has apparently learned nothing. Shame on them.

Quote from: cascoly on May 28, 2026, 01:56
i've been blocked by AS -- no actual reason given - just 'you did something we dont like' - no response to any attempts to find out more. and since their review process was months behind i have no idea what images might have caused the block

Very sad

Really very sad. Hope they set you free soon.

Just as an update for anyone going through this with Adobe right now. I live chatted with their customer facing team this morning, explained the situation but also said I was a paying customer of Adobe Creative Cloud and found it terrible that I had no response from the Contributor team so far.

They said the current target for responding to banned account reviews was 30 days and they would put a note on my profile to check back at this point. We shall see, but at least I have something in writing with an expected timeline.