The semi-independent Oversight Board, which handles appeals concerning Meta’s content moderation, recently reversed the auto-removal of two social media posts related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on Instagram and Facebook. Restored posts followed an expedited review process.
The Instagram post involved video footage after the Al Shifa Hospital bombing in Gaza. Meta originally removed it citing violation of their Violent and Graphic Content Policy. However, the Board concluded the political language and context made it compliant with current guidelines, with the recommendation of an added graphic imagery warning and age-restriction.
The removed Facebook post had an alleged video of an Israeli captive by Hamas, and Meta claimed it breached their Dangerous Organizations and Individuals Policy. This policy forbids posting terrorist activity videos showing an attack on an individual. While Hamas is categorized as a terrorist entity by Meta, the Board maintained that the post should have remained with a content advisory and age limit. It was felt that exclusion from algorithmic recommendation, which followed reinstatement, was unwarranted.
The Oversight Board did not spare Meta from criticism surrounding the implementation of new content moderation policies after the October 7 incidents. Meta’s transparency, or lack thereof, in rapidly changing content moderation approaches during conflict was a cause for concern.
Meta’s approach to moderation during conflict periods has been a contentious subject in the past. In November 2021, Amnesty International reported that Meta’s laissez-faire approach towards hate speech against Ethiopia’s minority Tigrayan community allowed human rights abuses. Additionally, the board recommended the suspension of former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s account on Meta due to violent threats towards political adversaries, which Meta rejected. Lastly, Meta faced a lawsuit in 2021 from UK and US-based Rohingya refugees from Myanmar for failure to moderate hate speech against the Rohingya, allegedly leading to human rights abuses endorsed by Myanmar’s government.
The original article can be found here on JURIST – News.