Binance's Face ID Lockout of ALS Patient Sparks Accessibility Outrage, CEO Intervention

Former Argentine senator Esteban Bullrich, who served as Argentina’s Minister of Education from 2015 to 2017 under former president Mauricio Macri, was locked out of his Binance account for five months after the platform’s facial recognition system stopped recognizing him due to changes in his appearance caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Bullrich, who revealed his ALS diagnosis in April 2021, stated that Binance’s Face ID system failed to recognize him for five months, freezing his crypto holdings during a period when bitcoin (BTC) declined from the $90,000s to the $70,000s.

CEO Richard Teng Intervenes After Viral Complaint

Bullrich’s complaint gained traction on social media, tagged to Binance co-CEO Richard Teng and founder Changpeng Zhao. Teng responded directly, acknowledging the issue and committing to addressing accessibility gaps for users with similar challenges.

"Esteban, I saw your post and wanted to respond personally. I'm sorry this happened. I'm committed to making sure we fix this accessibility gap for every user who faces similar challenges. Thank you for speaking up."
— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) April 28, 2026

Binance’s Accessibility Failure Exposed

Bullrich’s lockout highlighted a critical oversight in Binance’s biometric authentication system. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes muscles, including those in the face. Biometric identity systems should account for facial changes due to muscular degeneration, yet Binance’s system failed to do so.

Bullrich’s account was locked out in December 2025, when BTC was trading above $90,000. By the time his issue was resolved, BTC had dropped into the $70,000s, and other digital assets had performed even worse, resulting in significant financial losses.

Binance Acknowledges Accessibility Failure

Following Bullrich’s viral post, Binance Argentina responded, stating that its team was reaching out directly to address the issue. The company escalated the matter as an accessibility failure requiring correction and thanked Bullrich for speaking up.

While Binance’s response acknowledged the failure, it also underscored the inefficiency of its standard support channels, which took 150 days to resolve an issue that required CEO intervention after going viral.

Binance’s User Growth Amid the Incident

Binance reached 300 million registered users in December 2025, three years after rolling out biometric authentication on its mobile app in 2022, according to Clarín, the Argentine outlet that broke the story.